Abstract
Recent scholars have highlighted the benefit of harvesting compost from eco-san toilets for application as plant nutrients. However, levels of nutrients in eco-san compost may vary depending on the type of toilet and also the type of top soil in a particular geographical region. This study compared levels of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium and sodium between compost from Sky loo and Fossa alterna toilets. Samples were collected from Zimora and Ng’ombe villages in Chikhwawa district, southern Malawi. Statistical analysis using SPSS showed significantly higher levels of nitrogen, calcium and moisture in compost from Fossa alterna toilets than in Sky loo (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the levels of potassium in the two types of eco-san compost studied. This study has revealed that compost from Fossa alterna is generally a richer source of plant nutrients than that from Sky loo thereby presenting poor, local communities in sub-Saharan Africa with a cheaper alternative to commercial fertilizer. Key words: Eco-san toilets, compost, Malawi, plant nutrients, soil quality.
Highlights
With a Human Development Index rank of 171 out of 187 countries, Malawians living in rural areas face numerous challenges that include lack of access to safe drinking water, rising poverty, rapid population growth and poor sanitation (United Nations Development Programme, 2012)
There was a lower amount of nitrogen in Sky loo compost than Fossa alterna compost probably because of the urine diversion design in the Sky loo latrine
The findings from this study show that Fossa alterna produces compost richer in nitrogen than the Sky loo more valuable nitrogen based organic fertilizer
Summary
With a Human Development Index rank of 171 out of 187 countries, Malawians living in rural areas face numerous challenges that include lack of access to safe drinking water, rising poverty, rapid population growth and poor sanitation (United Nations Development Programme, 2012). The growing numbers of poor households means that the majority of smallholder farmers cannot afford commercial fertilizers due to high prices. Such poor communities suffer from periodic famine due to persistent drought, and depreciating soil quality among many other external factorsg (Sugden, 2009). Eco-san compost has the potential of improving soil quality thereby increasing food security for poor households. Eco-san technology provides a safe way of recycling human excreta through composting. Meaningful and comprehensive knowledge on variations of plant nutrient composition between compost from different eco-toilets is still scare
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
