Transcript Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity

Exploring the Potential for Recycling
Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity
The Example of Valley View University (VVU)
in Accra, Ghana
Tropentag, Bonn, 11-13 October 2006
Jörn Germer
Joachim Sauerborn
[email protected]
[email protected]
+49 (0)711 894 6600
+49 (0)711 459 2385
University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Institute for Plant Production and
Agroecology in the Tropics and Subtropics, Garbenstr. 13, 70593 Stuttgart,
Germany
www.uni-hohenheim.de/respta
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Is recycling nutrients from sanitary waste
an option?
•Nutrient content & nutrient efficiency
•Hygienic safety
•Acceptability
 Urine application
sorghum trial
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Yield per ha in % (1964 = 100%)
Growth of cereal production in different
developing regions
250
Developing
Countries
200
250
South-Asia
200
2004
1994
1984
1974
1964
150
150
100
100
50
50
0
0
0
50
100
150
200
0
50
100
150
200
Area harvested in % (1964 = 100%)
250
South-America
250
200
200
150
150
100
100
50
50
0
Sub-Saharan Africa
 Data from
FAOstat
0
0
50
100
150
200
0
50
100
150
200
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Nutrient depletion in kg per hectare and year
Nutrient depletion in Sub-Saharan Africa
50
40
30
20
10
0
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
 Summary of 11 literature datasets on cereal production in different
countries
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Magnitude of annual human nutrient
excretion in Ghana
•Per capita: ≈2.8 kg N, ≈ 0.4 kg P, ≈ 1.2 kg K
•Nationwide: ≈60,000 t N, ≈ 8,500 t P, ≈ 25,600 t K
 Heavily polluted creek
(Nsawam - Ghana)
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Valley View University
•New campus is under construction
•Planned capacity 5,000 students (now 1,000)
 VVU is located in the
costal dry savanna zone
– the country’s driest
zone (PET ≈ 1,600 mm)
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Agricultural production units at VVU
Tree plantations
Urine
Fecal compost
Sanitary grey water
Rain fed farming
Kitchen grey water
Fruit orchards
Vegetable
gardens
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Nutrient efficiency – urine vs. min.
fertilisers and manure (2004)
•Maize
•Very low precipitation
•Distinct difference of
vegetative growth
between treatments
250
Plant height in cm
200
Urine
Control
Poultry manure
Cow manure
Mineral fertiliser
Mineral fertiliser plus water
150
100
50
 Severe draught stress
 Plant height development
0
2
4
6
8
Weeks after sowing
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
10
Nutrient content of human urine (dry urinals)
g/l
N
P
K
Literature
7.0
0.6
2.0
VVU
2.7
0.2
0.8
Source
 Sanitary block
 Dry urinals
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Potential causes for low urine nutrient
concentration
•Quality and Quantity of food intake (N, P, K)
•Struvite and carbonate-apatite formation (N, P)
•Volatilisation (N)
 Tanks for storage and
pathogen load reduction
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Nutrient efficiency – urine vs. min.
fertilisers and manure (2005)
•Maize
•Low precipitation
•Significant difference in
grain yield between
treatments
1600
A
A**
A*
A*
Grain yield in kg ha -1
1400
 Maize trial
 Grain yield
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
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Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Nutrient efficiency – urine vs. min.
fertilisers, manure and compost (2006)
•Sorghum
•Precipitation satisfactory
•Significant difference in
grain yield between
treatments
3000
A**
A
B
A*
B*
A**
A**
B*
Grain yield in kg ha -1
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
 Sorghum trial
 Grain yield
0
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Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Hygiene monitoring
•Considerable pathogen loads in all sanitary wastes
•Storage deactivates E.coli, Salmonella spp.,
Enterococci and C. perfringens in urine
1e+6
5000
Escherichia coli
Enterococci
Clostridium perfringens
1e+5
Enterococci in pure urine
Enterococci in urine water mixture
Clostridium perfringens in
pure urine
Clostridium perfringens in
urine water mixture
1e+3
cfu per 1ml
cfu per 1 ml
1e+4
1e+2
1e+1
4000
2000
1000
1e+0
1e-1
1e-2
tel
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GW
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Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
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Acceptability
•Workers at VVU easily adopt urine collection and
fertilisation
•Questionnaire investigation discovered no
fundamental objections based on religion, culture
or health considerations
•Common awareness that current sanitation
practise is suboptimal
•NGOs request technology
transfer
 Farmer interview
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Conclusion
•Crops perform equally well, whether nutrients are
supplied by human urine or alternative sources
•Pathogen load present in urine can be reduced
through storage
•Acceptance is good
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.
Thank you!
•Detailed information available at:
www.uni-hohenheim.de/respta
•Project Booklet:
www.ioev.de
Recycling Nutrients to Enhance Agricultural Productivity — Valley View University in Accra, Ghana / Germer, J. & Sauerborn, J.