Human compost boosts harvests in Mozambique
The more than 2,500 residents of Mozambique’s impoverished village of Matimangwe have harnessed the power of their poo to fertilize their crops, and the village is now on the road to sustainable food production and development. Thanks to a human-waste compost latrine system called EcoSan, villagers have seen a major difference in the size of their harvests. Built with an investment of about $20, the EcoSan is essentially a pit latrine that gets covered with soil and ash once it’s filled and is then left for up to eight months while a family moves to a new pit. As the waste is composted, harmful pathogens die off and a rich humus remains. Using this humus, farmers are able to produce enough crops for their families and sell the extra to raise money for clean drinking-water wells and school materials for their children. Says the village chief, “Our goal is more latrines — no deaths, more food.”
