New manual from the WAND Foundation

Our partner, the Water, Agroforestry, Nutrition and Development (WAND) Foundation has published a new manual titled "Ecosan-based Tree Planting Guide: The WAND Foundation Experience." This publication details our experience using humanure from the dry toilets into tree growing activities with small farmers as partners in the endeavor. The problems of biodiversity loss, poverty and deterioration of soils in the rural areas is a vicious cycle which if left unchecked would lead to a downward spiral of poverty and pauperism. Meanwhile tree planting activities suffer from lack of fertilizer thereby mortality of trees is high and growth stunted. Why not use human waste in tree growing activities? This publication demonstrates the various dry toilet systems we are using, waste collection and fertilizer production techniques, seedling nursery development, tree growing and field management activities. This is our contribution to the dearth in literature on the use of human waste in agriculture. Although this publication describes humanure-based fertilizer for medium-scale agro-reforestation initiative, the techniques can well be used in small tree planting schemes and household-level tree planting activities.