Agricultural Aspects

1. Ecosan Expert Training Course Capacity Building for Ecological Sanitation Agricultural Aspects Katharina Conradin & Martin Wafler, seecon international

2. Requirements for Plant Growth Fe Cu Light Ca O2 P K Mg Water Soil Structure N S B Source: Vinnerås (5) Temperature • Requirements for plant growth: • light, • water • structure for roots • nutrients. • When supply of most limiting growth factor is increased, then other growth factors become important as limiting factors. • If factors other than nutrients are limiting, increasing nutrients will not help. Source: (5)

3. Macronutrients & Micronutrients Plant growth, green colour (photosynthesis), protein content Root growth, regulates plant metabolism, seed and fruit development Plant growth, regulates transpiration in plant • Nutrients: essential elements • Largest uptake: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (in the form of CO2 and water (H20) • Increase in: light, carbon dioxide, water and mineral nutrients  increased growth • Micronutrients • Uptake in very small (micro) amounts • Boron (Bh) • Copper (Cu) • Iron (Fe) • Chloride (Cl) • Manganese (Mn) • Molybdenum (Mo) • Zinc (Zn) • Macronutrients: • Uptake is about 100 times that of micronutrients: • Nitrogen (N) • Phosphorus (P) • Potassium (K) • Sulphur (S) • Calcium (Ca) • Magnesium (Mg) Source: (5)

4. Nutrient Export from Agricultural Land In an agricultural ecosystem, minerals and organic matter are exported from the soil by harvesting the products.

5. What is artificial fertilizer? Sulphur Potassium Phosphorus Nitrogen http://www.uspanteco.org

6. What is artificial fertilizer? N P K 16 8 16 Balance…? Balance = SALTS 40 16 + 8 + 16 = ...?

7. Soil Degradation: Salinization Salinisation in Gujarat Build-up of salts Die off of natural bacteria / microorganisms in the soil Nutrient holding / transforming capacity of soil decreases Yield goes down

8. Soil Degradation Very high severity High severity Moderate severity Low severity Stable Land, Ice Caps or non-used wasteland Source: www.fao.org Global status of human-induced soil degradation.

9. Advantages / Disadvantages of Artificial Fertilizers • Initial rise in yield • Easy to handle (usually relatively small amounts required) • Composition adapted to the needs of different crops • Costly • Build-up of salts • Not balanced • Not complete • Can destroy crumb structure of the soil (no organic material added) • Negative effects on microorganisms in soil •  reults possibly in land degradation • Are easily washed out of the soil Advantages Disdvantages

10. Closing the loop between sanitation and agriculture The basic principle of ecosan is to close the loop between sanitation and agriculture without compromising health GARDENS GARDENS ENERGY ENERGY FOOD FOOD closing the loop between sanitation and agriculture NUTRIENTS NUTRIENTS Pathogen destruction Source: (4)

11. Nutrient excretion by humans We excrete the same amount of nutrients that we take up in our diet (except for children  growth of bones) N N DIET EXCRETA P P The amount of excreted nutrients by one person is the same amount that is needed as fertiliser to grow the food for that person  Such a beautiful well-balanced loop!

12. Nutrients in “Wastewater” Greywater Faeces Urine Source: (1) Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium Wastewater Flow

13. Human Excreta - A Valuable Resource million tons per year (as N + P2O5 + K2O) 135 www.fertilizer.org 50 • more than 1/3 of global mineral fertilizer consumption can be covered by the reuse of human excreta • over 15 billion US$ fertilizer equivalent are annually flushed down the toilet

14. Quantification and Characterization of Human Urine Averaged values from various studies conducted in North America and Europe source (2)

15. Quantification and Characterization of Human Feces Averaged values from various studies conducted in North America and Europe source (2)

16. Human Feces Composition (Indian Condition) Source: Yadav, 2008

17. Estimated Excretion of Nutrients per capita in Different Countries source (7) in (6)

18. Nutrients and Fertilizer Requirements Source: (33) A high percentage of the nutrient requirements for producing (as an example: 250 kg of cereals) could be met by recovering the nutrients contained in urine and faeces.

19. Plant Availability of Nutrients in Urine and Faeces Nutrients in Urine: mostly water-soluble  directly available to plants, rapid plant availability Let`s separate! Jef Vivant • Nutrients in Faeces: • both water-soluble + non water-soluble nutrients • slower plant availability (need degradation) • Organic material: water holding capacity with compost Without compost Seedlings after one week without water

20. Benefits of Organic Matter with compost Without compost Source: T. Alföldi (22) Seedlings after one week without water With organic matter • Benefits of Organic Matter: • Improves soil structure • Improves pore space • Increases water-holding • Better water supply for crops • Diversity of micro-organisms • Multitude of biochemical processes • Capacity to buffer pH and pollutants • Better storage and exchange capacity for (micro) nutrients • Reservoir of N P K S steadily released by mineralisation With artificial fertilizer Source: (5)

21. Visible Effects of Urine as Fertilizer Alfalfa (animal fodder) Barley …it works! Oats

22. Visible Effects of Urine as Fertilizer No Urine Urine No Urine Urine

23. Advantages / Disadvantages of Compost & Urine as Fertilizer • Balanced fertilizer • Complete fertilizer: contains all nutrients we excrete • Good for soil structure • Improves water holding capacity • Contains organic material • Available free of cost • No build-up of salts • Fosters a rich live of soil microorganism • Closes the loop • Concentration of nutrients cannot be predicted entirely • Not so concentrated • Quality depends on quality of raw product • Can also be washed out of the soil (esp. dissolved nutrients in urine) Advantages Disdvantages In any case: adequate amount is crurical

24. Benefits of using sanitised urine, faeces & greywater

25. Ecosan Expert Training Course Capacity Building for Ecological Sanitation in Bhutan Agricultural Aspects Katharina Conradin & Martin Wafler, seecon international