Implementing innovative technology to tackle barriers in utilising human waste derived fertilisers in Sub Saharan African agriculture

农业是撒哈拉以南非洲的主要部门，为许多人提供就业机会。这不仅是他们的生计来源，也是他们的生活方式。他们中的许多人是自给农民，需要确保作物生产力尽可能最佳。影响作物产量的一个因素是使用适量的肥料。这不是一个保证，因为许多其他因素影响作物生产力，如灌溉，气候，害虫/疾病/杂草，土壤有机质和作物品种。然而，如果所有其他因素都是最佳的，那么施肥可以在影响作物生产力方面发挥重要作用。撒南非洲面临的一个挑战是化肥价格昂贵，导致农场施用量低。补充化肥施用量低的现有选择是使用有机添加物，如作物残渣、牲畜粪便、生物固体和堆肥。发达国家使用的生物固体来自处理厂，并经过处理达到安全的可接受标准。然而，撒南非洲大部分地区的情况并非如此。撒南非洲的一个可用选择是从定居点的旱厕粪便中提取材料。当通过堆肥等过程处理到安全标准时，这种粪便可以用作作物生产所需的有价值的肥料。虽然人们普遍认为粪便衍生肥料（FDF）对作物生产力有益，但存在限制其全部潜力的观念问题。此外，不同批次的FDF之间可能存在差异，这取决于所使用的原料。这也减少了对它作为肥料使用的依赖，以及由于令人不快的气味和粪便物质的性质而引起的早期感知问题。该项目是及时的，因为它提供了解决上述挑战的技术解决方案，并可能增加FDF的使用，并在农民中树立信心。拟议项目的目的是证明在SSA部署基于技术的解决方案的可行性，以测试和评估FDF，以克服在农业中使用FDF的障碍。拟议的技术将得到转化和知识交流的支持，以便其在地面一级的实施能够有效并被广泛接受，以解决在农业中实施其用途的现有障碍。所提出的技术是一种简单的基于纸的方法，可用于测定FDF中的营养成分（特别是硝酸盐和铵）。该项目还将探索移动的电话应用程序的选择，该应用程序正在作为另一个项目的一部分开发，以方便农民等最终用户。虽然这种方法简单有效，但作为本项目的一部分，将采取措施确保该工具的精确度和准确性不会影响收集的有关此类肥料营养状况的任何信息。该项目还将通过讲习班和研讨会与农民和农学家等最终用户密切接触，以便通过有效沟通澄清任何疑问。该项目还将提供一个工具，最终用户可以使用该工具来确定适合接受FDF的土地储备。通过这种方式，可以有效地使用土地，并与移动的手机应用程序相结合，该应用程序可以告知正在施用的肥料的合适程度。这可能是一个双赢的局面，不仅可以提供卫生解决方案（通过安全处置和处理粪便物质成为肥料），还可以通过潜在的土壤肥力和作物生产的改善来解决粮食安全问题。将与最终用户密切接触，以确保他们愿意接受使用这些技术。该项目的成果将对改善农民的社会经济地位和更多地依赖可再生肥料来实施可持续农业非常有价值。

Agriculture is a major sector in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) and provides employment to many people. It is not only a source of livelihood but also their way of life. Many of them are subsistence farmers and need to ensure that the crop productivity is as optimum as possible. One factor that influences crop productivity is the use of suitable amount of fertilisers. This is not a guarantee as many other factors influence crop productivity such as irrigation, climate, pest/disease/weeds, soil organic matter and crop varieties. However if all other factors are optimum then fertiliser applications can play a major role in influencing crop productivity. A challenge in SSA is that chemical fertiliser prices are expensive which results in low application to the farm. The available options to supplement the low application of chemical fertilisers are to use organic amendments such as crop residue, livestock manure, biosolids and compost. Biosolids that is used in the developed country comes from a treatment plant and treated to an acceptable standard that is safe. However this is not the case in most parts of the SSA. An available option in SSA is faecal derived material from dry toilets in settlements. This faecal matter when treated to safe standards through processes such as composting can be utilised as a valuable fertilisers needed for crop production. Whilst there is general understandings that faecal matter derived fertilisers (FDF) are beneficial for crop productivity, there are perception issues that curbs its full potential. In addition there could be variation between different batches of FDF depending on the feedstock being utilised. This also reduces the reliance on its use as fertilisers in addition to the earlier perception issues due to unpleasant odour and nature of faecal matter. This project is timely as it offers technological solutions that tackle the challenges explained above and can potentially increase the use of FDF and instil confidence amongst farmers. The aim of the proposed project is to demonstrate the feasibility of deploying technology based solutions in SSA to test and evaluate FDF to overcome barriers in using it in agriculture. The proposed technology will be supported by translational and knowledge exchange so that its implementation can be effective at ground level and be widely accepted in order to tackle existing barriers in implementing its use in agriculture. The proposed technology is a simple paper based method that can be used to determine nutrient content (particularly nitrate and ammonium) in FDF. This project will also explore the option of a mobile phone App that is being developed as part of another project for the ease of end-users such as farmers. Whilst this method is simple and can be effective, steps will be taken as part of this project to ensure that the precision and accuracy of this tool does not compromise any information gathered on the nutrient status of such fertilisers. This project will also engage closely with end-users such as farmers and agronomists through workshops and seminars so that any doubts can be clarified through effective communication. This project will also provide a tool which end-users can use to determine landbank that is suitable to receive FDF. In this way the land can be used efficiently and coupled with the mobile phone App which can inform on how suitable the fertiliser that is being applied. This can be a win-win situation which can not only provide a solution for sanitation (through safe disposal and treatment of faecal matter into fertilisers) but also tackle food security through potential improvement in soil fertility and crop production. There will be close engagement with end-users to ensure that willingness to accept the use of such technologies. The outcome of this project will be very valuable in improving the socio-economic status of farmers and rely more on renewable sources of fertilisers to practice sustainable agriculture.