Productos de comunicación
Productos de comunicación desarrollados para presentar el caso al público destinatario. Puede tratarse de vídeos, presentaciones, documentos u otros formatos pertinentes.
DETALLES DEL CASO
DECLARACIÓN
If small-scale farmers use human urine as a pesticide and component of fertilizers, then they will reduce pest infestation and increase yields and income from their produce. Using urine will also reduce their over-dependence on and costs of artificial chemicals. Human urine is affordable, locally available, safe for human use, helps preserve local knowledge and is not dangerous to plant life once applied.
PÚBLICO META
Small-scale farmers especially women and the youth.
Prioridades y valores del público meta
- Environmentally-friendly farming approaches are highly valued by small-scale farmers.
- One of the main priorities for small-scale farmers is soil health.
- Many small-scale farmers would prefer using an affordable substitute to commercial agricultural supplies.
- Many small-scale farmers rely on generation-to-generation transfer of traditional agricultural knowledge and techniques. For the purpose of directing their farming methods, they respect traditional ecological knowledge and indigenous wisdom.
FORMULACIÓN DEL ARGUMENTO
Small-scale farmers' excessive use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers can degrade the soil, killing living things and lowering productivity. Farmers who use inorganic pesticides without safety gear run the danger of developing health problems such as skin irritation, lung problems, and cancer in the long run because some of the chemicals are hazardous.
Small-scale farmers concur that the costs of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides are usually high. These input costs put a heavy financial strain on small-scale farmers’ finances. To maintain productivity on their farms over time, small-scale farmers must rely entirely on these inputs.
Through this case, ESAFF Uganda showcases how the use of human urine improves soil health because it increases nutrient availability and improves soil water retention. By using human urine as a natural pesticide, farmers will understand that it can reduce reliance on synthetic chemical pesticides, which can have negative impacts on organisms, pollinators, and human health.
Small-scale farmers can alternatively sell fermented human urine to other small-scale farmers who do not have access to enough human urine at a low cost rather than purchasing high-cost conventional chemicals.
Small-scale farmers while using human urine as fertilizer and pesticide save money that would have been spent in purchasing inorganic inputs. They use locally available products on the farm that are easy to source. Human urine is also safe to use and easily stored in containers that are not expensive.
Through the use of fermented human urine, small-scale farmers will be able to preserve indigenous plant species which can only be preserved using practices like human urine as fertilizer and pesticide.
The use of human urine can also reduce pest infestation, increase yield and income from their produce.
ESTRATEGIA
The case is argued by showing evidence of improved results on 3 main dimensions:
Ecological
Using human urine as pesticide and fertilizer improves soil health when it is administered because it increases nutrient availability and improves soil water retention. Fermented urine contains 95% water, which helps the soil to stay moist and endure dry seasons as well. Healthy soils are more resistant to disease, drought, and erosion, promoting long-term agricultural output because the soil stays healthy for a long period unlike where conventional methods are used and deplete the soil because they use hazardous chemicals that kill species vital to the health of the soil.
Economic
The use of urine does not involve the continuous or risky investments associated with inorganic fertilizer, since the equipment for collection, storage and application has to be procured only once. Even for farmers who can afford inorganic fertilizer, urine could be used as a strategy to optimize such investment by complementing the input of phosphate and potash fertilizers with nitrogen-rich urine.
Using human urine is a more profitable and affordable practice compared to the cypermethrines and foliar fertilizers that are sold in the markets and this is observed through practical experiences. Small-scale farmers using human urine attain higher yields of at least an increase of 20kg of coffee and 5 extra clusters of vegetables as well as bigger and healthier banana plants compared to those that use the inorganic chemicals.
Socio-Cultural
The use of human urine promotes the use and transfer of traditional agricultural knowledge and techniques that were used by grandparents. The use of human urine as fertilizer and pesticide encourages transfer of traditional agricultural knowledge and techniques.
LLAMADAS A LA ACCIÓN
Small-scale farmers to appreciate the importance of using human urine and adopt the approach.
AFIRMACIONES Y EVIDENCIAS
Esta sección contiene cada una de las afirmaciones hechas por el caso, junto con las pruebas aportadas para demostrar dicha afirmación. Las pruebas pueden ser de primera o segunda mano, incluir cualquier combinación de datos cualitativos y cuantitativos y proceder de diversas fuentes.
Certain components of human urine, such as urea and ammonia, have insecticidal and repellent properties that can help control pests.
- A testimony from Irene Nakijoba is used where she shares that her produce from the maize significantly changed ever since she started using human urine on her plants. She further shares that while still using the inorganic fertilizers and pesticides, she used to get about 3 bags of maize from her garden but with applying the human urine on the maize, she can now harvest at least 5 bags of maize.
- Farmers’ testimonies are used where they share that the use of human urine is a more profitable and affordable practice compared to the cypermethrines and foliar fertilizers that are sold in the markets. They have attained higher yields of at least an increase of 20 kg of coffee and 5 extra clusters of vegetables as well as bigger and healthier banana plants compared to those that use inorganic chemicals.
- Evidence is also drawn from an article on Sanitized Human Urine (Oga) used as Fertilizer in Niger, where it is stated that "in all 3 years and across all on-farm trials conducted, the treatment (Oga + OM in 2014 and 2015, Oga solely in 2016) resulted in a positive and significant yield effect" and a consistent panicle yield increase of +30%, between +200 to +300kg per hectare in general was observed.
- Kezia Nassozi’s testimony is used where she shares that urine is a readily available fertilizer, which they do not have to buy from the shops. Even for those that buy human urine, a jerrycan of fermented human urine is at 10,000 UGX yet a bag of NPK fertilizers goes for about 170,000 UGX and pesticides for 35,000 UGX. Using this fermented human urine is way cheaper for them.
- Irene Nakijoba’s testimony is used where she says that while using human urine as fertilizer and pesticide, she saves a lot of money that would have been spent in purchasing inorganic inputs. She uses locally available products on the farm that are easy to source. Human urine is also safe to use and easily stored in containers that are not expensive. Irene Nakijoba testifies that she saves about 200,000 UGX every season that she would have used to purchase chemical inputs.
- A testimony from Kezia Nassozi is used where she shares that she sells fermented human urine to other small-scale farmers who do not have access to enough human urine at a low cost rather than purchasing the high-cost conventional chemicals.
- Evidence is also drawn from an article on the Effect of Human Urine as a Fertilizer for Vegetable Growing in Kitemu Zone, Wakiso District, Uganda (Mbowa and Siraje, 2020). On pages 140 & 141, it is stated that "Urine is also a free, locally and constantly available resource as compared to inorganic fertilizers. Being a free resource makes it a highly valuable source of nutrients to support plant growth (Beaune, 2018 in Mbowa and Siraje, 2020)" and "It is noted that human urine fertilization is valued as a low-cost and low-risk practice, contributing to significant yield increases, suggesting important contributions to food security and income, especially for those who have few options in soil nutrient management" (Ranasinghe et al., 2016; Beaune, 2018 in Mbowa and Siraje, 2020).
- Irene Nakijoba, a small-scale farmer in Mukono district, shares that the use of human urine does not involve the continuous or risky investments associated with inorganic fertilizer, since the equipment for collection, storage and application has to be procured only once.
- Kezia Nassozi shares that human urine is cheap because they just get it from the family members. It is better than the inorganic fertilizers, which at times are very difficult to get. She also adds that human urine is available throughout the year.
Evidence from a publication on the Effect of Human Urine as a Fertilizer for Vegetable Growing in Kitemu Zone, Wakiso District, Uganda where small-scale farmers agree that the use of human urine as fertilizer and pesticide is valued as a low-cost and readily available from family members or even neighbours. A farmer does not need to invest a lot of money in buying the storage materials.
- Irene Nakijoba shares that their parents used the locally available materials for fertilizers and pesticides and they lived for quite a long time. She adds that they can only preserve such practices to keep the heritage of their parents through passing them to their children as well. Additionally, she says that preservation of indigenous varieties of plants can only be maintained using agroecological practices like the use of human urine and ash.
- Kezia Nassozi’s testimony is used where she says that small-scale farmers minimize their exposure to synthetic inputs and hazardous chemicals in order to protect their communities, families, and themselves. Chemical residues in food crops and the danger of pesticide poisoning are decreased when human urine is used as fertilizer and insecticide. This is not the case for inorganic fertilizers and pesticides, which require the use of protective gear to apply. This protective gear is used at times and is not even enough to protect them. Moreover, farmers don’t even wear it as prescribed.
OTROS DATOS
Fotos
Application of fermented human urine on vegetables.
Farmers storing human urine in drums.
Watering the planted vegetables after covering.
Kezia Nassozi applying fermented human urine on a banana plant.
Organización líder
