Integrating low water energy and carbon
sanitation technologies with sustainable
small-holder farming in the Mopani
municipal area: a pre-feasibilitystudy
Presentation to the WRC by:
Attie van NiekerkNova Institute (Nova)
Erna KrugerMahlathini Development Foundation (MDF)
Betsie le RouxFood and Water Research (Pty) Ltd (FAWR)
25 January 2021
Contents of this presentation
1. Background
I. Expertise available
II. Proposed project area
2. What are the outcomes of the project?
3. Is it a nexus project?
4. How will the project enhance community resilience?
Expertise available
1. Background
Nova
•Work with households &
communities
•Integrate technology into
everyday practices
•Takepracticesto scale
•25 years experience
Brickstar stove
•Co-designed over 4 years with residents.
•Reached 8 000 households with more to come…
Mahlathini Development Foundation (MDF)
•Innovation system methodology in climate resilient
agriculture implementation
•Decision support system for local level community based
CCA
•Experience in promoting
•Appropriate agricultural technology
•Soil and water conservation practices at rural household level
•Development of:
•Local institutions and social agency tocollaborate in water and
resourceconservationandmanagement
•Local economic and food system solutions
FoodandWaterResearch
•Experienced in
•Packaging decentralized sanitation technology in a way that the small-
holder farmers can engage with,
•Waste and water quantity and quality management,
•Development of integrated water management,
•Aquaponics for small-scale farmers,
•Recovery of nutrients from waste for use in hydroponics,
•Constructed wetland design for contamination control.
Project area
1. Background
Mopani District (MD) Municipal Area
•MDF has relationships with 12
villages in MD and expanding.
•Small-holder farmers always
experiment withMDFondifferent
technicaloptions.
•Rural and peri-urban communities
present. Thorough integration of
technologiesintothe daily
practices of one community of each
type is needed to upscale.
•Mopani District is water scarce, flush toilets not feasible.
•Outcomes on a local level will be:
•Survival strategies in water-stressedareas
•Saving water
•Cleaner sanitation
•Better health
•Increased food security
Why decentralised sanitation?
Outcomes and products
of the proposal
Question 1
ProjectPhases
Preparation
•1 year
• Select:
•Team
•Households
•Technologies
Co-develop
•3 years
•Co-create
sanitation
systems
Pilot
•4 years
•Up-scale to
municipal
scale
Roll out
•Continuous
•Up-scale to
other
municipalities
Current proposal
Outcomes of preparation phase
Households:
10 rural,
10 peri-
urban
ProductsofPreparationPhase
•Technicalreport
•Dissemination package
Is it a nexus project?
Question 2
Water– Energy – FoodEcology & Health
How will carbon sanitation
enhance community
resilience?
Question 3
•Integrated activities: waste to resources
•Address vulnerabilities
•Hunger
•Floods
•Droughts
•Health and safety
•Environmental (pollution, eutrophication)
•Sanitation
•Access
•Maintenence
•Disposal
Technology
Overloaded Agile
Versus
Thank you
Additional slides for
discussion
Examples of potential options
USDDTs: Urine diversion dehydration toilets (>10 years, empty at
annual intervals)
Low flush pit latrine, or low flush with leach
chambers (shown below); 4 -10 years may
need sludge removal
Entrenchment of faecal sludge
and planting of trees
Urine diversion and collection for
direct use in farming
Links to sustainable homestead crop production
•It is possible to use both urine and faecal matter (either dehydrated
or sludge) in agriculture with important precautions
•Dried faecal matter with use of lime or ash: Store for min 6months prior to
use to reduce Ascaris contamination to zero – or entrench
•Faecal sludge: best method is entrenchment, with strong precautionary
measures in handling
•Urine: If stored in sealed containers only needs 5days-2months to reduce all
pathogens to zero
Significant reduction in pathogens compared to sludge and much easier to handle. Nutrients are
mainly carbon, P and K, used primarily for trees (fruit or timber, other perennials or field crops such
as cereals. Minimal leaching
Use 1 m deep trenches. Also contains N alongside C, P and K. Minimal leaching
Nutrients are N, P, K and micronutrients, 2x more P and 8x more N than faecal matter). N:P:K ratio is
20:1,2:4. Also sterile but can be contaminated. Generally stored and then used directly on soil for
irrigation. Need better solutions for local acceptability and practicalities of handling at homesteads.
How to incorporate the two P’s into the
farmingsystem
•Handling has to be streamlined
and minimized
•Potentialdangerof
contaminationhasto be
removed
= Use in trench beds at
household garden and field level
Fortreesanperennialand
fruiting crops and cereals.
Use 1 m deep trenches. These are already being prepared
and filled with a range of organic materials. They are then left
foraminimumof6yearsbeforere-doing, allowing for full
composting and removal of faecal matter and pathogens,
which takes a maximum of three years. Similar beds can be
designed for planting of trees and other perennial crops
How will the project enhance community
resilience?
•Together with the communities, the project team will aim to find the most suitable technologies for example:
•Toilets that are physically safe for small children
•Management of sewage that is safe, dignified, sustainable, and that does not lead to environmental pollution
•Systems that can be built and managed by the community on site and independently, to enhance both short and long term sustainability
•The way in which the eventual practices are co-created with local small-holder farmers ensures that the solution is fully integrated into the local dynamics of the community: local
solutions that will be locally produced, managed, implemented and maintained – with a minimum of outside support –unlike large scale systems where residents are fully
dependent on outside powers
•Resilience is enhanced through appropriate planning of placement and waste management systems to reduce danger of flooding, leaching, ground water contamination and to
allow for systems that use no or very little water to improve water use efficiency.
•Both fecal matter and urine can be safely used for fertility enhancement and improved crop production; in this case the link can be made directly with entrenchment and trench
beds as promoted through the CRA decisions support process also designed under the WRC.
•Local methods for preferred and optimized use and handling can be explored and used as a pilot for expanding first within villages and then at a larger scale. If methods can be
developed that do not need sludge removal significant gains in local health, reduced pollution and reduced use of energy and water can be effected.
•Exploration of cost effective solutions allow for cheaper options at a local level and significant savings in the system as a whole
•Ways of utilizing sewage as a resource in energy production will be considered.
•Vulnerabilities
•Hunger
•Floods
•Droughts
•Health and safety
•Environmental (pollution, eutrophication)
•Sanitation
•Access
•Maintenence
•Disposal