Application of human excreta on the farms as an effective option to the uptake and replication of ecological sanitation (Ecosan) in Burera District, Rwanda

Abstract

The ecological sanitation (Ecosan) technology continues to be challenged by diverse factors including exposure of human excreta to the users in different geographical settings. The purpose of the study is to understand the linkage between the uptake of Ecosan technology and the
application of human excreta on the farms among farmers in Burera district. A quantitative study was conducted to assess the linkage between the application of human excreta on the farms and the uptake of Ecosan technology among farmers of Burera District, Northern Province of Rwanda. By using a multistage sampling strategy, a sample of 361 household farmers was selected in the sectors of Rugarama, Gahunga and Cyanika in the District of Burera where the Ecosan technology has been mostly implemented at the household level Findings show that Ecological sanitation  technology is favorable among females and 70% of females prefer to use it as sanitation facilities due to its privacy and design compared to the pit
latrine technology. In addition, the application of human excreta on the farm was high and 60% of farmers apply excreta on the farmers especially when there is a time of emptying excreta from their sanitation technologies. However, only 3% of the users of Ecosan technology apply also
human excreta as Ecosan products on their farms. This implies that there is a need to scale up the Ecosan technology in the community of Burera district to optimize the proper use of human excreta. The high uptake of Ecosan technology will evolve the implementation strategies such as community education, the supply of Ecosan materials in the community and the construction of Ecosan technology. This will boost sanitation coverage and increase crop production in Burera district by taking into account the community health as well as the environmental aspect