Two of Burkina Faso’s greatest challenges are growing food insecurity, linked to increasing land degradation, and serious health threats due to a lack of clean water and safe sanitation.
Yet solutions exist to address both problems simultaneously, and this has been the focus of the SIANI expert group One Health in Burkina Faso. In this policy brief, the group explores the untapped potential of recycling excreta and wastewater for use in agriculture. The insights build on the results of the report Improving agricultural productivity in Burkina Faso – Policies, practices and pathways for the reuse of sanitation by-products.
To improve agricultural productivity and sustainability, the brief proposes:
- Integrated management of excreta and wastewater through approaches such as Ecosan and the Clean and Green framework that are technically feasible, but insufficiently mainstreamed.
- Scaling up the recovery of excreta and wastewater by recognizing their reuse in agricultural policies and fertilizer programmes, coordinating between WaSH and agricultural institutions, providing technical standards and guidance and access to appropriate equipment.
- Promote the safe reuse of sanitation by-products through coherent public policies in relation to WaSH, as well as agriculture, health and the environment.