Bumper harvest for composting latrines

Maize grown in normal soil in Lichinga.

WaterAid

Results from recent agricultural trials in the Niassa province of Mozambique show that compost from WaterAid-promoted composting latrines is hugely boosting crop yields.

In composting latrines human excreta are mixed with soil and ash to decompose into a compost which can be dug out and used in agriculture.

WaterAid chiefly promotes the construction of latrines in order to help communities escape diseases caused by poor sanitation, but is delighted that this type of latrine is also enabling communities to reap economic benefits.

The trials looked at how crops planted with material from composting latrines fared in comparison to those planted using methods of agriculture common in the area. The Lichinga and Mandimba districts of the province were hit with unusually high rainfall this year - close to 2000mm compared to the usual 1200mm - which caused most crops to rot.

However, crops which were planted in soil mixed with the contents of various designs of ecosan latrines, including a urine diversion system being pioneered by WaterAid and its partner organisation ESTAMOS, thrived in comparison.

Maize grown in soil mixed with the contents of composting latrines in Lichinga.

WaterAid

The photos show a comparison of maize plants planted seven feet apart in the same field in the Lichinga district. The top photo shows maize planted in normal soil and the bottom one shows maize planted in soil mixed with the contents of a composting latrine.

The difference is startling - the composting latrine maize plants were the only ones in the district to thrive and towered over neighbouring plants.

A similar story has been seen in the Mandimba district, where trees planted in soil mixed with the contents of composting latrines are the only ones laden with fruit. In contrast to the Lichinga and Machimba districts, the Maua district of Niassa had hardly any rainfall at all this year.

However, the contents of composting latrines again fared very successfully in the trials, with a huge tobacco crop being yielded in a field planted with its contents, while neighbouring fields failed to sprout.

WaterAid and ESTAMOS are now being inundated with requests from other farmers for assistance in constructing further latrines. The expansion of composting latrines across the province will greatly benefit the poor rural communities living there - incidences of disease should fall as sanitation coverage increases and crop yields look set to rise dramatically.