Business Consulting: Human Waste Fertilizer in Indian Agriculture

This business consulting report explores the use of human waste as fertilizer in Indian horticulture. It examines the practice in states like Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi, where farmers utilize human waste to enrich soil, particularly in areas with poor soil quality. The report details the process of converting human waste into compost, highlighting its rich nutrient content (phosphorus, nitrogen) and potential for increasing agricultural yield. It addresses the positive impacts on horticulture crops and the use of organic fertilizer (biosolids). The report also acknowledges the negative aspects, including potential risks from pathogens, toxic metals, and chemical irritants, along with the lack of comprehensive studies on their long-term effects. Socio-cultural barriers, such as poor social acceptance and the taboo associated with human waste in many Indian cultures, are discussed. The report further analyzes the application of human waste as fertilizer in barren lands, particularly in states like Karnataka and Manipur. It references the use of 'Humanaure' and vermicompost for soil fertility, along with the pros and cons of using human waste in woodlands, emphasizing the importance of health literacy and the preference for chemical fertilizers in certain contexts. The report concludes with references to supporting literature and research findings.

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Answer to question 1
In India, the use of human waste for horticulture is found in states like Gujarat, Kerala,
Tamil Nadu and Delhi. Hundreds of farmers use human waste for decades particularly in farming
areas where the soil has poor quality and requires enrichment. Human waste is rich in
phosphorus, nitrogen and other nutrients. Farmers can use it for fertile land as well for personal
farming benefits or on large scale with government’s permission (Muralidharan 2017).
The process involves safely converting the human waste including faecal material and
urine into compost. Human waste can be recycled via thermophillic composting to convert it into
organic fertiliser also known as biosolids to spread on agricultural fields and flower beds. The
end product of the recycled waste does not contain any dangerous bacteria or heavy metals. This
organic fertiliser can increase the agricultural yield by making the soil fertile. The application
was found to have positive results on horticulture crops. There is literature evidence showing
short term or long term health effects of biosolids land application. However, the negative
aspects of human waste used as fertilisers include risk of organic chemicals, pathogens, toxic
metals (Zinc, Arsenic, Copper etc.), and chemical irritants. However, there is a lack of well
studied evidence on effects of interaction of these harmful components, their building up in soils,
uptake into crops, food system and flowers, or leaching into waterways. The problem worldwide
is the antibiotic resistant bacteria (Lamb et al. 2012).
The socio-cultural barriers of using the human waste as fertilisers in horticulture are the
poor social acceptance and adoption of the composting of human excreta. The reason may be
fear of consuming phytotoxic substances. It is due to consideration of human waste as a taboo in

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many Indian cultures and using it for horticulture is socially unacceptable for many Indians. It
may or may not be related to pathogen avoidance (Rahman and Chariar 2015).
Answer to question 2
Indian states like Karnataka, Chennai, Manipur and places near Mangalore contain barren
lands. Most barren lands are found near mountains or hill slopes and in southern part of India.
The oddoor farms in these places are eligible for use of human waste in fertilizers. Use of
human waste as fertiliser in woodlands was found to improve the water holding capacity of soil.
Farmers privately use for their personal farm or on large scale with government’s permission or
use WHO’s guidelines . Humanaure can be used by mixing the composted human faeces with pit
humus via composting toilets. It may be produced passively underground at
ambient temperatures. For barren soils vermicompost is mixed with soil and spread around 2 to
3 mm thick makes the soil fertile (Bai et al. 2012).
The pros and cons of using the human waste as fertiliser in woodlands are same as its use
in normal horticultural fields. Poor social acceptance due to low health literacy in rural areas is
the common barrier. The reason may be fear of consuming phytotoxic substances. It is due to
consideration of human waste as a taboo in many Indian cultures. Pit humus and compost are
considered as an inoffensive earth like products. Instead, human waste may be regarded as
impure substance to be used on ancestral land, which is considered sacred. Chemical fertilisers
are more preferred for woodlands as the use of organic fertiliser may take years for maturation
(Rahman and Chariar 2015).

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References
Bai, S., Srikantaswamy, S., Krishnanandan, V. and Naik, O.P., 2012. Speciation of heavy metals
in biosolids of wastewater treatment plants at Mysore, Karnataka, India. Environmental
monitoring and assessment, 184(1), pp.239-249.
Lamb, D.T., Heading, S., Bolan, N. and Naidu, R., 2012. Use of biosolids for phytocapping of
landfill soil. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 223(5), pp.2695-2705.
Muralidharan, A., 2017. Feasibility, health and economic impact of generating biogas from
human excreta for the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews, 69, pp.59-64.
Rahman, M.A. and Chariar, V.M., 2015. Study of acceptance of human urine by Indian farmers
as a soil conditioner and water source. International Journal of Tropical
Agriculture, 33(2 (Part IV)), pp.1537-1548.