Abstract
Although human urine contains nutrients for plant growth, very few community schools in Nepal use a urine diversion dry toilet (UDDT) and apply the human urine as fertilizer in their school garden. Using human urine in agriculture reduces the use of chemical fertilizers, thus saving the expenditure associated with it. Application of human urine improves the soil fertility and may contribute to increased food security among school children if the school can supply the canteen with food for mid-day meals. This study adopted a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach in order to understand stakeholder perspectives and involve them in the planning and implementation of urine diverting toilets. The data for this study were collected from five teachers’ focus group discussions. This paper presents teachers’ perceptions of the urine diversion dry toilet system and use of human urine as a fertilizer for the school garden. Only a few teachers accepted that human urine could be used as fertilizer, however, they were not willing to use it on their crops since it was considered impure. Due to a perceived bad odor and the uncomfortable sitting position on the UDDT, particularly for females, teachers disliked this toilet and they felt using urine as fertilizer was unnecessary. One of the key lessons drawn from the study is that schools, in collaboration with local governments, should employ participatory approaches to understanding and engaging local stakeholders, including teachers, to minimize negative perceptions prior to the application of human urine as fertilizer in the school garden.
Highlights
Ecological sanitation (Eco-san) system is one sanitation method that can be efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective in making use of human waste
The themes that emerged from the data analysis such as awareness and knowledge, perceptions, and potential acceptance relating to the use of the Eco-san toilet, and application of human urine as fertilizer, were the key themes
The findings correspond with a study in Uganda which reported that poor advocacy concerning Eco-san, and a lack of knowledge were the causes for a high prevalence of misconceptions existing in community schools (Trimmer et al, 2016)
Summary
Ecological sanitation (Eco-san) system is one sanitation method that can be efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective in making use of human waste. The system separates the human urine from the faeces and reuses it for agricultural purposes (Haq & Cambridge, 2012). It is a viable natural alternative to chemical fertilizers that could enrich the microorganisms in the soil. Human urine is naturally rich in nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Crops and vegetables fertilized with human urine were found to be 10 percent larger than those grown with conventional fertilizer (Effebi, Ballet, Seka, Baya, & N’takpe, 2019). The Eco-san toilet is the best solution for environmental sanitation and the resource retrieval of organic matter for crops and vegetables
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