By Krisy Gashler
One person’s waste is another one’s gold. A Cornell researcher and her African colleagues are collecting human excreta from informal settlements in Kenya, processing it to remove pathogens, and turning it into affordable, high-quality agricultural fertilizer – called KIYA Gold – that is nourishing plants while protecting human health and the environment.
Kisumu, Kenya, a port city on the northeast edge of Lake Victoria, faces multiple challenges. Depleted soils and exorbitant fertilizer costs depress agricultural yields, while inadequate sanitation facilities in informal housing settlements lead to untreated human waste entering the lake, spreading disease and killing fish. These factors create a compounding cascade of poverty, poor health and economic stagnation.
“At some point it occurred to us that there was a positive feedback loop possible here,” said Rebecca Nelson, a professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science and the Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). “If we can use this excreta to make fertilizer, we can expand sanitation, support and improve public health and sanitation in the informal settlements, all while reducing nutrients and pathogens going into the lake.”
Nelson, an agroecologist, and Charles Midega, a professor at Maseno University in Kisumu and executive director of Poverty and Health Integrated Solutions, have collaborated to protect African crops for years.
Source : cornell.edu