Productive Sanitation –

From pilot to scale in Aguié, Niger

RIO+20

Mahamane AdamouAgricultural EngineerPPILDA, Niger

CONTROLURINE

Presentation outline

I. Short presentation of PPILDA

II. Introduction to the Productive Sanitation approach (ProSan) and pilot project at PPILDA

III. Results obtained

IV. Lessons and perspectives

I. Short presentation of PPILDA

PPILDA = Projet de Promotion de l’Initiative Locale pour le Développement à Aguié

(Project for the Promotion of Local Development Initiatives in Aguié)

• 8 year project : 2005-2012

• Project is under the Ministry of Agriculture in Niger

• Funding: 17.5 million $ (IFAD, Belgian Survival Fund and Niger Government)

The over all goal of PPILDA

To improve conditions and livelihoods of the poor with focus on the most vulnerable groups, in particular women and youth

Through 30 000 families PPILDA aims to reach 180 000 people in 6 municipalities in the Aguié province (Aguié, Gazaoua, Gangara, Tchadoua, Jirataoua et Sae Saboua)

I. Short presentation of PPILDA

PPILDA works with 5 major components :

1. Identify and test local innovations

2. Reinforce local instutitions and organizations

3. Make funds available to support local initiatives and innovations

4. Reinforce local services5. Project management

I. Short presentation of PPILDA

Pilot project within PPILDA : ProSan-Aguié (October 2008- February 2010)

Main objective: Testing productive sanitation in Niger to improve the productivity of small holder farmers

Specific objectives: • Productive sanitation is accepted and show significant increase in agricultural production at the pilot sites (compared with control plots) • Other actors in the sanitation or agriculture sector are willing take up the productive sanitation concept in strategies and projects.

II. Introducing farmers to Productive Sanitation – the ProSan-Aguié project

The agriculture challenge in Niger

>80% of the population in Niger involved in farming

Average farm size <1.5ha

- Variable rain-fall

- Large nutrient deficits

0,9 kg chemical NPK/ha/year

Losses: 56 kg NPK/ha/year

The sanitation challenge in Niger

26 400 children dies every year due to diarrhoea

91% practice open defecation in rural Niger (JMP, 2010)

N = 2,8 kg

P = 0,4 kg

K ~ 1,3 kg

Per person/year

N = 2,8 kg

P = 0,4 kg

K ~ 1,3 kg

Per person/year

Human excreta – a blind spot in nutrient management

Urine and faeces from the 9 persons in Niger contain the equivalent of 50 kg of urea and 50 kg of NPK(15:15:15) worth 80$(mainly in urine)

• Eutrophication• Spreading of disease• Loss of nutrients

- Open defecation!- Drop and store!- Flush and forget!

-Sanitization and reuse

Productive Sanitation – from linear to circular flows

• Confinement/collection• Treatment• Reuse

→ Productive (ecological) sanitation

1. Development: Involve > 300 households in seven villages

2. Research : Studies on agronomic, sanitary, economic, social and technical aspects

3. Outreach: Local, national and international

ProSan-Aguié pilot project activities

Intervention zone and baseline

80% are involved in agriculture

1.5 ha/household

Landless farmers

Very few latrines

04/03/13

Containment and treatment – simple urinals

Composting toilets

Dry toilets

Containment and treatment

04/03/13 16

Participative testing of liquid fertilizer (urine)

ProSan-Aguié pilot project results

• Acceptance of the approach in the pilot villages;• Increased harvest with liquid fertilizer (urine) from urine

harvesting (1100 households);• ~150 composting pit latrines and awareness raising

activities resulting in improved sanitation and hygiene• Project widely adopted in Niger

PPILDA continued…

2010: Consolidate the approach

2011/12: Scale up the approach

III. Results from start of upscaling

• 90 % acceptance and use of liquid fertilizer (urine) in the villages:• Low cost fertilizer accessible also to women• Renewed interest for composting by adding liquid fertilizer to the composting pile in the dry season

Agricultural production

• Yield increase : The average yield in the farmer field schools using urine is 600 kg/ha compared to 425 kg/ha as the average in the rest of the province (in 2011) and on irrigated crops, 7 to 25% increase according to crops

Results from start of upscaling

Sanitation infrastructure• In total 330 latrines;• More than 2000 simple urinals;• 20 villages involved surrounding the first 5 pilot villages

Productive sanitation and sanitary conditions

• Increase in use of latrines (only 5% had access to latrines before)• Improvement in hygiene (reduced open defecation) and helth of the population

Gender considerations

•Different groups are involved (women, youth and vulnerable) in farmer field schools and sensitization sessions which helped the widespread acceptance of the approach

•Since 2010 there are also female facilitators which has helped to spread the approach among the women

•Women in particular appreciate the composting latrines, since it reduce their vulnerability when defecating in the open and also easier for them to deal with menstruation

Results from start of upscaling

Results from start of upscaling

Success:• Capacity building • Availability of local fertilizer (natural resource management)• Improvement of hygiene and health• Improved safety (not exposed to open defecation)

Challenges:

• Communities in the beginning – seeing is believing

• Burnt plants if vegetable growers don’t have enough water during the dry season

IV. Lessons learnt

• The collection, treatment and reuse of urine as a liquid fertilizer has been possible in spite of religious and social taboos thanks to :

– The participative approach and using farmer field schools with convincing results;

– Mobilization of all stakeholders in the process (religious and traditional leaders, authorities, STD, population)

IV. Perspectives

Perspectives 2012:• Up scaling of the Pro San approach to more villages with

support from the previous local champions as well as an extension of pilot farmers, working with 500 vulnerable households on 250 ha.

• Testing the « Solid Fertiliser » ( sanitized latrine compost) on cereals crops in 18 farmer field schools;

• Continue the co-composting, using liquid fertilizer as a source of nutrients and humidity .

• Continue to construct latrines and urinals to harvest urine

IV. Perspectives

Perspectives 2012-2018• PPILDA will now go into the next phase and work with rural

development in 18 municipalities aiming to reach 65000 households (31 million $)

• Productive sanitation will be one of the approaches promoted – helping to improve both health and production!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!