WATER AND SANITATION PROGRAM: LEARNING NOTE 56937 Ecological Sanitation Key findings Social Factors Impacting Use · Demand for organic fertilizer exists across religions and regions, with over 80% of both Muslims and Christians responding that the of EcoSan in Rural Indonesia EcoSan system would be beneficial · Consumer demand is high all across the regions: in total, more than 80% of people June 2010 are willing to consume products grown using EcoSan compost · More than 80% of the respondents are willing to use a urine or feces-based fertilizer, but only urine and excreta-based fertilizers in general and 40% of farmers would inform their customers INTRODUCTION: ECOSAN IN about the type of fertilizer used the EcoSan urine diversion system in particular. INDONESIA · Only 50% of respondents were willing to Consideration of EcoSan as a Sanitation process the urine and feces themselves to Background Option make compost Access to improved sanitation remains a · There is reservation about installing and As Indonesia has a largely wet climate and people huge challenge in Indonesia. Joint Monitoring use water for anal cleansing, the UDDT (see Box properly using EcoSan toilet systems. While Programme (JMP) 2010 data indicate that 1) was judged to be less suitable than the UD 70% of the respondents said that constructing around 38% of the rural population has access (see Box 1) toilet. Benefits of urine diversion the disposal storage above the ground was to improved sanitation services and that open toilets include reduced odor, no production of not a problem, only around 40% considered defecation remains a widespread practice for fecal sludge that requires disposal, reduced water it easy to keep the disposal hole dry, by not over 60 million Indonesians. The persistence of consumption, and the collection of pure urine for using water for cleansing directly above the old habits and a lack of awareness form the basis direct use as fertilizer in agriculture. Challenges, toilet of many challenges in the Indonesian sanitation on the other hand, include social acceptance · The use of water for cleansing, where sector. To change this situation there is a need of the system (due to the separation of washing available, is an Indonesian cultural behavior to focus on changing sanitation and hygiene water, urine and feces as well as the storage of across religions that inhibits the use of a toilet the excreta), and the collection, processing and behavior within communities, in addition to system requiring dry storage use of urine and feces. These are also the factors increasing investment in sanitation services. that distinguish the EcoSan system from most other conventional and low cost toilets systems. The majority of Indonesians are Muslims (88%), This study assumed that these differences may and Islamic teachings provide instruction and be sensitive for particular religious customs, guidance on sanitation habits and behaviors. The cultural habits or preferences, as also concluded teaching requires that running water, if available, by Nawab et al. (2006). The sensitivities could should be used for anal cleansing and certain include: materials, including human excreta and urine, are regarded as najis (ritually unclean). Apart from · first, that being regarded as najis, feces and the `natural' feelings of disgust that most people urine may not be acceptable for the production express towards human excreta which result in of food, or that there maybe objections to anal cleansing, Islam requires ritual cleansing handling and processing them. after being in contact with materials that are · second, that water should not be used directly considered to be najis. However, the use of water above the toilet hole in order to keep the excreta for anal cleansing also appears to be a cultural dry. This could be difficult where cleansing with habit as non-Muslim Indonesians also use water water is a hygienic health-related custom, and for anal cleansing, a fact confirmed by the study even more difficult for those who are required results. by custom and religious practice to carry out anal cleansing with water. Objective of the Study · third, the urine and feces have to be collected The study objective was to identify the social, and processed, which requires direct handling religious, cultural and gender-related factors by the user if production is to be carried out at which influence rural people's attitudes towards household level. 2 Social Factors Impacting Use of EcoSan in Rural Indonesia Ecological Sanitation as the basis for improving future pilot projects, selecting pilot locations, and BOX 1: ECOLOGICAL SANITATION (ECOSAN) carrying out more detailed research. The EcoSan concept sees human excreta not as a waste product, but Illustration 1: Farmers Using Organic Fertilizers in Ciwidey, West Java as a valuable resource that can be used for the production of organic fertilizer and/or compost and biogas1. For human excreta to be used as a resource for fertilizer in agricultural food production, pathogens present in the excreta must be destroyed. There are two main methods of doing this: dehydration and decomposition. Dehydration basically involves removing the air from the excreta with the help of heat or ventilation, or the addition of dry material. In decomposition, pathogens are destroyed through biological processes, with the help of worms and/or bacteria. Pathogens, however, are not distributed equally in human waste. Most pathogens are in the feces while urine is generally sterile. Urine also contains most of the nutrients, and provided that it is kept pure, after dilution can be directly applied as a fertilizer2. Although feces do not contain a high level of nutrients, they are a valuable soil conditioner. After pathogens in the feces are destroyed by dehydration and/or decomposition, the compost is applied to the soil to increase organic matter content, improve water retention, and increase the availability of nutrients and beneficial soil organisms. The study was undertaken in eight districts in five provinces across Because urine becomes contaminated with pathogens when it has been Indonesia. The respondents were 330 women and men, farmers and in contact with feces, a focus of EcoSan technology has been to separate villagers, and included Muslims, Christians and respondents with traditional the urine from feces at the point of generation, using toilet pans that beliefs. Four producers and retailers of excreta and urine based fertilizer collect urine separately from feces. This separation of urine and feces were also identified and interviewed. However, they were not willing to also ensures that the feces are kept dry to enable dehydration to take divulge financial information, which limited the study's ability to undertake place. Thus EcoSan technologies can be divided into two types: urine the planned economic assessment. diversion toilets (UD), which use a small amount of flushing water, and the urine diversion dehydration toilets (UDDT), which do not use any flushing water. DEMAND FOR ORGANIC FERTILIZER EXISTS ACROSS RELIGIONS AND REGIONS Other EcoSan options include the Arborloo, which can be constructed as an offset (or direct) goose-neck pan over a shallow pit latrine. Once the The most significant evidence for the potential for EcoSan acceptance pit is full the superstructure is relocated, the pit is covered with soil and among the study respondents is that 82% of the respondents believe a fruit tree is planted in the covered pit. The fruit trees grow well with the that the EcoSan system would be beneficial. The main reason for this additional nutrients. There are also other technologies that allow (or even can be found in the potential ability to produce fertilizer themselves. More require) the combined collection of human excreta that are suitable to use than half of the respondents expect that the EcoSan system would increase in high altitudes and arid conditions, such as the Andes. their income or reduce their costs, due to self production of fertilizer or 12 increased availability locally of organic fertilizer at lower prices. The high cost and limited availability of chemical and organic (from animal waste) fertilizers, Technical aspects of the EcoSan toilet related to the construction of the means current fertilizer in Indonesia demand is not entirely met, and any toilet, urine separating seat/squatting plate, and storage facilities have additional supply of fertilizer is regarded as beneficial and responsive to been improved and adapted over the last few years. However, as yet the demand. social aspects of EcoSan application and sustainability in different cultural settings have received less attention. These factors form a key part of people's decision making when considering their choice of toilet, and in their Figure 1: Is EcoSan Beneficial? motivation to maintain and sustain that toilet without external intervention. 100% 13 6 19 Methodology 80% EcoSan toilets have not yet been used widely in Indonesia, and their 60% application is limited to technical trials and small pilots. This lack of No substantial experience makes it difficult to assess people's real acceptance 40% 54 34 88 of, and attitudes towards sustaining EcoSan toilets. With this constraint in Yes mind, the researchers undertook a desk study of socio-economic factors 20% impacting EcoSan in other countries, a market survey assessing producers' and consumers' attitudes towards excreta-based fertilizer, focal group 0% discussions, and community surveys. The result is a qualitative study with Muslim Christian Total some indicative quantitative results. Given Indonesia's population of 228 million (2008) and its vast range of Given this evidence of demand for an additional source of fertilizer, the study cultures, religions and local beliefs, ethnic groups and traditional influences, researched two aspects related to the potential use of the EcoSan system the study does not seek to be a comprehensive reflection of the whole of in Indonesia: Indonesia. Instead, it provides a preliminary assessment of attitudes towards EcoSan, and identifies some key drivers and inhibitors which could be used 1 The stages of the supply chain for human excreta-based fertilizers to see if people are willing to deal with the processing and consumption steps, which include storage of excreta, collection, processing to 1 The study was unable to research biogas in detail. fertilizer, applying the fertilizer to the plants, consuming products 2 Usually, one part urine is diluted with 2-5 parts water before application. www.wsp.org Ecological Sanitation Social Factors Impacting Use of EcoSan in Rural Indonesia 3 grown with human excreta-based fertilizer, and finally, informing their indicated their feelings of disgust in relation to the processing required, a customers that urine and excreta based fertilizers have been used. fact that is supported by another result of the study: only every second 2 The readiness of people to own and use an EcoSan toilet system respondent is willing to process the urine and feces themselves. correctly. This includes willingness to pay the cost of construction of storage above the ground, to undertake the separation of excreta Further evidence of this reservation towards the human excreta-based and urine, to keep the toilet hole dry by not using water directly above products can be drawn from the finding that even though farmers are willing it, and to apply odor-reducing materials. to consume food grown with human excreta-based fertilizer themselves, most doubt that other consumers would see it the same way: only 40% of the farmers are willing to inform their customers that human excreta- A successful fertilizer market requires that there is consumer demand for the end product: are people willing to consume agricultural products that based fertilizer or compost has been used in growing their products. are grown using human urine or excreta-based fertilizers? The study reveals that consumer demand is high all across the regions: in total, more RESERVATIONS ABOUT USING ECOSAN than 80% of Christians and Muslims are willing to consume such products. This positive response indicates that the respondents themselves TOILETS do not have any concern that the products still contain materials which are considered najis, and should therefore not be consumed by Muslims. While the results show that people are largely willing to consume products grown with excreta-based fertilizer and to use the fertilizer, the study reveals a greater reservation about installing and properly using EcoSan toilet BOX 2: IS HUMAN EXCRETA-BASED FERTILIZER NAJIS? systems in their homes. While 70% of the respondents said it would be easy to construct the disposal storage above the ground, only around 40% Interviews with the staff of two leading Muslim organizations3 in Jakarta, considered it easy to keep the disposal hole dry, by not using water for indicated that there is no specific ruling (fatwa) on this issue, and in their cleansing directly above the toilet. view the selling and buying of urine and feces processed as fertilizers and hence valuable substances is allowed. The argument is that the price is Illustration 2: A Focus Group Discussion on Community Perspective charged not for the najis itself, but for the human work of processing the najis, and for the transportation involved. Thus it is the work of processing and transporting that creates a market value for the urine and excreta. To support this view, several examples already exist in Java of human waste being composted, marketed and successfully sold to farmers through small scale businesses. 3 Figure 2: Are You Willing to Consume Food Grown Using Human Excreta-Based Fertilizer? 100% 26 11 37 80% 60% 40% 108 69 177 No 20% Yes 0% Muslim Christian Total The study data show that this is not only a Muslim religious objection, but that Christians also consider it difficult to keep the excreta dry by not The second most important indication is user demand. The study found that using water above the disposal hole. While the percentage of Muslims who more than 80% of the respondents are willing to use urine or feces- considered it difficult to keep the disposal hole dry was fairly constant, the based fertilizer. The fact that many of the community respondents are percentage of Christians who felt this way varied from 35% in Kulon Progo, also livestock farmers who are currently using animal excreta as fertilizer Central Java to 78% in East Sumba. This confirms the assumption that supports this result. However, this may also account for their level of comfort use of water for cleansing, where available, is also an Indonesian cultural with such materials. The majority of farmers interviewed in the community behavior that inhibits the use of a toilet system requiring dry storage. survey (both Muslim and Christian), said that they had not heard of a fatwa or any other religious objection to using such fertilizers, and some went on Figure 3: Is It Easy to Keep the Excreta Disposal Hole Dry by Not Using to say they felt such agricultural inputs were socially and environmentally Water Directly Above the Excreta Storage? beneficial. 100% 6 Excreta-based fertilizers are still a sensitive issue for some 80% 10 9 37 24 13 5 Despite the relatively high acceptance of the EcoSan concept and a 60% 18 willingness to consume food grown using urine or composted human excreta, focal group discussions revealed a certain sensitivity of some farmers 40% No towards the products. This could be either due to the lack of evidence that 11 13 7 30 Yes it is effective, or due to the direct handling of a product containing najis 20% 7 3 16 substances, or both. Some respondents stated that their unwillingness to 5 use these products is due not to feelings of shame or disgust, but to doubts 0% about the effectiveness of the fertilizer: if other farmers were using these Muslim Muslim Christian Muslim Muslim Christian products successfully, they would also use them. Others, however, explicitly Gunung Kulon Progo Muara Bone East Muslim Christian Kidul Enim Sumba total total 3 Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah www.wsp.org 4 Social Factors Impacting Use of EcoSan in Rural Indonesia Ecological Sanitation Gender Differences Religion alone does not create a significant References difference overall in toilet customs and cleansing A significant difference was identified in the roles practices ­ the use of water in anal cleansing 1. Amguo and Koronadal, Preliminary Report and attitudes of men and women towards excreta- appears to be as much a cultural issue as a on Contextualizing Sanitation Habits In the based fertilizers and EcoSan. Traditional job religious one. Local Culture: Some Considerations for the divisions in agriculture mean that men generally Implementation of a Sanitation Program, make decisions about the type of fertilizer to be There are reservations about the use of EcoSan at Philippines, 2009 used (84% men, 16% men and women together) household level, although the data does indicate 2. Environment Statistical Data 2006-2007 and purchase the fertilizer (62% men, 21% men potential for general acceptance. This potential 3. Housing and Settlement Statistical Data 2007 and women together, 13% women). The only may be realized if detailed consumer research is 4. Hutabarat study, as quoted by Sebastian stage where women have more influence is in undertaken, followed by carefully designed and Eliyas Saragih, Organic Agriculture, Penebar the application of fertilizer on the land/plants tailor-made low-cost EcoSan separating pans Swadaya, Jakarta 2008 (41% men, 43% men and women together, 12% that allow people to undertake anal cleansing 5. Jan Olof Drangert: Norms and Attitudes toward women, 4% none). with water and that dispose of the black water EcoSan System and Other Sanitation Systems, separately to the excreta. Extended awareness EcoSanRes Programme, 2004 In the household, it is generally the men who make and information campaigns would be needed 6. Prof. Dr. Koentjaraningrat, Manusia dan the decision to build a toilet (73%), although it is to raise the level of acceptance and awareness, Kebudayaan di Indonesia; Djambatan, 1984 the women who are first to express the need for because as currently almost no information about 7. Statictics of Indonesia, BPS, 2007 a toilet (77%), and they also take an active role in EcoSan is available at local level. 8. Steven A Esrey and friends, Ecological the decision making about which toilet to build. Sanitation, Sida 1998 Cleaning the bathroom is mainly a woman's job However, there is also potential for private sector 9. Tim Teknis Pembangunan Sanitasi in (53%) or a job that men and women do in turns and/or community initiatives for the removal and cooperation with WSP-EAP World Bank, Bisnis (34%). Processing urine from EcoSan toilets is composting of excreta from septic tanks or pit Sanitasi: 100 Juta Konsumen Menunggu Anda, perceived to be a man's job (38%) or a man's and latrines, due to the clearly expressed demand for 2008 woman's job (40%), whereas processing feces the product, and the current existence of such 10. Welfare Statictics of Indonesia, 2007 is considered to be a man's job by 72% of the businesses. Likewise, an adapted Arborloo may 11. WSP Africa, Identifying Demand Drivers for respondents. be feasible, where wet pit latrines with gooseneck Sanitation Technology: the Case of EcoSan in pans are closed when full and the latrine is Africa, 2001 CONCLUSIONS relocated. The findings of the study allow a range of When addressing the target group for human Acknowledgments different conclusions to be drawn for the potential excreta-based fertilizer and for EcoSan systems, The research was carried out by Entin Sriani Muslim application of EcoSan systems in Indonesia. The it is important to keep the gender roles in mind. assisted by Ana Nurhasanah in 2009. This learning most significant driver for EcoSan is that there Men generally decide on the type of fertilizer note was co-authored by Martin Albrecht, Isabel is demand for organic fertilizer based on human used, while women have a stronger influence in Blackett, and Ikabul Arianto and peer reviewed by excreta. This is supported by the fact that the the decision about the type of toilet to be built in Eduardo Perez and Jeremy Colin. large majority of people are willing to consume the home. food grown with the use of human excreta or urine based fertilizer, and that there are people The fact that fertilizer production is the major Contact us willing to process human excreta to fertilizer and reason for people to choose the EcoSan sanitation For more information please visit www.wsp.org or use this excreta based fertilizer on their plants. option also leads to the conclusion that EcoSan email wspeap@worldbank.org. Religious customs do not appear to have a systems are likely to be harder to promote in significant influence either on the use of human- urban non-agricultural areas, and would require excreta based fertilizer or on the consumption of a completely different marketing and promotion food grown with human excreta based fertilizer. strategy. 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