Agronomic R&D on the use of urine and faeces in Burkina Faso – what have we learnt after 8 years?

Introduction

Synthesis after 8 year R&D in BF

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Presentation outline

Introduction

• Research has been carried out on two levels:- Action research with farmers- On-station research

• Vegetables, tubers and cereals

• Different themes – fertilizer effect on plants and soils and also economic evaluations etc.

This presentation summarize the research results that can be used in the field and also attract investors/donors/politicians

Common name of the fertilizers/approach

Sanitized urine and faeces / EcoSan

Local name of the fertilizers Birg-koom (urine hygiénisées) et Birg-koenga (fèces hygiénisées)

Relevant target sectors Agronomy, agroforestry, pastoralism

Agro-ecologic zones All the country

Potential adoptants of the approach

All types of agriculture producers

Appropriate soil types for the approach

All types of soil

Land use linked to the approach (cropland, pasture, forests…)

Cultivated land, agroforestry

Synthesis after 8 year R&D in BF

ObjectiveSafe reuse of human excreta to increase productive potential of degraded land and restitute nutrients to the soil that have been taken away with harvests

Target problems that the approach address

Soil degradation and low crop yields

How does the approach combat this problem

- Restoration of nutrients and organic matter ;- Improving physical, biological and chemical soil characteristics

Knowledge needed to apply the approach

Train farmers on collection, treatment and application of EcoSan-fertilizers

Synthesis after 8 year R&D in BF

Fill a container with urine – store it closed for 45 days → safe liquid fertilizer : ~5 g N/l and some P, K and micro-nutrients ;

-Vegetables : apply 1 litre of urine 15cm from plants in two fractions (i) ½ liter/plant at emergence and (ii) ½ litre/plant at start of flowering/fruiting followed by immediate watering. In the case of dense cultivation, apply 1-1,5 litres/m2 per fraction diluted with water and applied after weeding -Cereals: Apply when the soil is humid (after rain) in small furrows 10-15 cm from the plants, 1-1,5 litres/m2 in two fractions (i) at thinning and (ii) in the growth period; close the furrow together with weeding-Tubers: Apply litre in a furrow 10-15 cm around the plant at the start of tuber development-Trees : 3 to 5 litres/month according to the age of the tree, in a furrow around the tree in the drip line, close the furrow and water down.

Nb. Urine (birg-koom) correspond to urea and faeces (birg-koenga) correspond to NPK. The two fertilizers are complementary

Synthesis after 8 year R&D in BF Production and use of sanitized urine (Birg-koom = liquid fertilizer)

Collect in an EcoSan latrine until the chamber is full; add ash after every defecation. Close the chamber for 6 months to have sanitized faeces (birg-koenga) of ~33 gN -15 g P – 24 gK per kg of Birg-koenga

- For vegetables: Before sowing (or replanting), mix into the soil ½ - 1 kg per m2 according to the need of the plant,- For cereals: Apply to the foot of the plant after thinning: 50 g (small tomato can) per plant, equivalent to 1-1,5 ton/ha of Birg-koenga. Incorporate into the soil.- For trees : 5 kg/tree every half year, incorporate into the soil

Nb. Urine (birg-koom) correspond to urea and faeces (birg-koenga) correspond to NPK. The two fertilizers are complementary

Synthesis after 8 year R&D in BF

Production and use of sanitized faeces (Birg-koenga) :

Periods and dose of sanitized urine (Birg-koom) and faeces (Birg-koenga) to different types of crops (Dr Moussa BONZI ; Agronomist, EcoSan)

CropBirg-koenga Birg-koom

g/pocket Application day Volume/pocket (l)

1. Aubergine 200R+14 0,5R+35 0,5R+56 0,5

2. Okra 100R+14 0,5R+35 0,5R+56 0,3

3. Tomato 200R+14 0,5R+28 0,5

4. Cabbage 100R+14 0,5R+28 0,5R+42 0,25

5. Pepper 200R+14 0,5R+28 0,5R+42 0,5

6. Zucchini 100R+14 0,5R+28 0,5

7. Onion/Carrott 500g/m2 R+21 1/m2R+42 1/m2

8. Salad 500g/m2 R+14 1/m2R+28 1/m2

9. Sorghum/Millet 50At thinning 0,5

Three weeks later 0,5

10. Maize 50At thinning 0,6

Three weeks later 0,6

11. RiceR+15 1/m2R+35 1/m2

• Possible combination with chemical fertilizers  :If you dont have birg-koom – use ureaIf you don’t have birg koenga – use NPK

• Dose for rice production With high density planting, it is possible to increase birg-koom to 1 litres/m2 for the first application and 2 litres/m2 for the second application.Without NPK and no birg-koenga it is recommended increase birg-koom to 2 litres/m2 for the first application and 2 litres/m2 for the second application A dose of 500 g Birg-koenga/m2 can be compelmented with 0,3 litres/m2 of Birg-koom

• Dose for traditional cereal production (sorghum, millet, maize)Micro dose of 50 g of Birg-koenga per pocket allow to save 400-500 kg per ha (normally 1000 kg birg-koenga/ha is recommended)

• Dose for vegetables :Gardening is intensive (30-40 ton of manure/ha). With a very high density of vegetables we sometimes find, it can be necessary to increase the Birg-koom dose (max 30-40%).

Periods and dose of sanitized urine (Birg-koom) and faeces (Birg-koenga) to different types of crops (Dr Moussa BONZI ; Agronomist, EcoSan)

Recommandations to users :

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Only one type of EcoSan fertilizer do not replace mineral fertilizers (NPK and urea)

Birg-Koom (sanitized urine) only: apply NPK as base fertilizer and replacde urea with birg-koom

If you have:

Birg-Koenga (sanitized faeces) only, apply Birg-koenga as base fertilizer and then urea as a top dressing according to recommended dose

Two EcoSan fertilizers: Apply Birg-Koenga to replace NPK and Birg-Koom to replace urea

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To be aware of…

Increasing yields compared to classical fertilizers :1. Cereals : +37% to > 50% ( > 100% if used together with soil and water conservation techiniques like planting pits (zaï) or half moon)

2. Vegetables : +22% à 38% (extra production can be 5-10 t/ha according to crop)

3. Tubers: +41% à 53%

In summary: This practice can reduce the cost of crop-prodcution, increase farm-income and improve food security

EcoSan fertilizer performance

Control plot with little fertilizer

Plot fertilized with Birg-koom (in Ralo)

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Birg-koom (urine) Urea No fertilizer

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Rice fertilized with Birg-koom in the rice fields in the rainfed rice project in Garango

Syntesis of agronomic results on cereals :

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Sorghum MaizeCrop management techique

Fertilizer used

Yield (Kg ha-1)

IncreaseBK/urea (%)

Yield(Kg ha-1)

Increase BK/urea (%)

Farmers practice

NPK+Urea 74944

1 40366NPK+Birg

koom1 078 2 324

Half moonNPK+Urea 1 190

1061 396

39NPK+Birg koom

2 455 1 944

Planting pits (zaï)

NPK+Urea 74198

1 427106NPK+Birg

koom1 467 2 933

Crop

Rendements (kg/ha)

Increase BK/urée

Urea Birg koom(commercial

mineral fertilizer)

(sanitized local urine)

Mil 799 1 816 127%Riz 3 349 4 711 41%

Techniques and tips for urine (birg-koom) and feces (birg-koenga) application according to crop type → Photo-document - some examples here:

Apply urine in furrows in a uniform fashion to all plants

Application technique of Birg-koom on all types of crop planted in lines (after soil preparation)

Apply urine uniformly to the field – and flood the field with water after application

Application technique of Birg-koom in rice production

1. Dilute urine in a watering can with at least 100% water

2. Apply diluted urine to onions and lettuce and then water down

Birg-koom application technique to sensitive crops

Application of EcoSan fertilizer to planting pits (zaï) and half-moon

Constraints to implement the technology

- Inconvenient odors from sanitized urine- Long sanitization time to produce sanitized

faeces (6 mois)- High latrine cost for collection and

sanitization of faeces- Cost for storage containers for urine- Heavy work to apply sanitized urine

Costs for implmenting the approach

- 200-300 $ for EcoSan latrine- 0,20 USD/20 litres of urine (1,50-2 USD if

including the jerry can) - 0,10 USD/Kg of sanitized faeces- Working costs for urine application

Major constraints with EcoSan fertlizers

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Next

For the development impact of EcoSan fertilizer use: → We are trying to identify key actions that will allow scaling up

On-station research continues at INERA Saria Several combinations are compared: EcoSan fertilizer/mineral fertilizer/compost/manure/control

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