The nexus of food production and sanitation in poor peri-urban regions in India

One World - No Hunger

With our contribution to the “One World – No Hunger” initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), we are tackling the problem of malnutrition with a two-pronged strategy:

• first by improving local sanitation services and thus improving public health;
• and second by using safely treated, nutrient-rich wastewater and faecal sludge compost on farms to irrigate and fertilise fields, thus closing the nutrient cycle and increasing food production.

Project Highlights / Achievements

• Conducted a detailed literature study of the present status of wastewater reuse in agriculture. The literature reviewed cases under four broad themes: a) impact of wastewater reuse on human health; b) impact of wastewater reuse on soil and crop health; c) treatment technologies for wastewater reuse; and d) economic feasibility of reusing treated domestic wastewater.
• Conducted an 'Expert Consultation Meet' attended by experts and practitioners from various sectors including nutrition, wastewater treatment, agriculture, health and hygiene, and law. The Meet was successfully concluded with inputs on future project planning for the Nexus project and ways to building partnerships with other organizations.
• Conducted an in-house training training on the ecological linking of sanitation, nutrition and agriculture. Expert practitioners served as resources on organic farming and reuse of human waste, and on understanding the terms “nutrition” and “under-nourishment” in a holistic manner. Pilots for four different situations: (1) nutrient supplement and hygiene practices in a low-income peri-urban settlement school; (2) community hygiene and reuse of sludge for food production at Devanahalli town in Bangalore; (3) minimising the risk of using untreated wastewater for food; and (4) EcoSan toilets and food production.

Project Specifications

Project duration: 2015 – 2017
Budget: 0.8 million euro
Donor: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Partners:
EcoPro (Auroville)
Biome Environmental Solutions
Beedi Workers Colony Council
Rural Literacy and Health Program (RLHP) Karnataka
UAS (University of Agricultural Science) Raichur
St. Johns Medical College Bangalore