Olufunke Cofie

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research | CGIAR

The value chain (VC) system is a key way to address important sanitation technological and institutional gaps in production and service delivery and could constitute a natural platform for development actions and also serve as a market systems approach to improve access to safely-managed sanitation. It has been suggested that sanitation could boost...

Water scarcity is a growing challenge in semi-arid and sub-humid areas. There are over 2000 small reservoirs (SRs) with storage capacities of up to 1 × 10^6 m^3 across West Africa’s dry areas. Based on a comprehensive literature review, we found strong evidence that SRs enable improved food security, livelihoods, and income diversification through...

Globally, collection of tipping fees is being promoted as a solution to sustain the operation of fecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs). Currently, there are six large-scale FSTPs in Ghana, of which five were in operation in June 2017. In Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi and Tamale, fecal sludge (FS) is co-treated with landfill leachate using waste stabiliz...

Fecal sludge (FS)-derived fertilizer material, Fortifer™ was used in farmers' field to cultivate different crops under varying soil and agro-climatic conditions in Ghana. The aim was to (1) create awareness among smallholder farmers for widespread use of Fortifer™ (2) observe the response of crops to Fortifer™ application by farmers in different ag...

Private sector actors bring expertise, resources, and new perspectives to agricultural development, but the tendency to short-term approaches and market-based orientation has been unable to drive a systemic change in the development agenda. We explore how multi-stakeholder dialogues can capitalize on and trickle systemic change through private sect...

Small reservoirs (SRs) are essential water storage infrastructures for rural populations of Sub-Saharan West Africa. In recent years, rapid population increase has resulted in unprecedented land use and land cover (LULC) changes. Our study documents the impacts of such changes on the water quality of SRs in Burkina Faso. Multi-temporal Landsat imag...

Over the last decade, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has explored the use of fecal sludge (FS) in combination with other organic waste sources to optimize FS treatment and composting for the production of a safe organic fertilizer, which can – depending on demand – be enriched with crop nutrients or pelletized for volume reduct...

Fecal sludge (FS) contains a significant amount of plant nutrients. FS (treated/untreated) has been used as soil ameliorant in several countries. Use of FS-based compost on lettuce may meet reservations due to possible microbiological contamination. The objectives of this research are: (1) To determine the fertilizer value of different formulations...

Faecal sludge (FS) contains a significant amount of plant nutrients. After drying and composting, FS has been used as soil ameliorant in several countries. Use of FS-based compost on lettuce may meet reservations due to possible microbiological contamination. The objectives of this research are: (l) to determine the fertilizer value of different fo...

This article reports on a study that sought to understand the major factors to consider in changing poor environmental sanitation practices in urban communities in Accra, Ghana. The study focused on three main issues: the drivers of sanitation and pollution control measures in the communities; community members’ perceptions on the influence of poor...

Small reservoirs (SR) are structures that capture and store run-off from upstream catchment area for multiple uses including irrigation, fishing, livestock watering, domestic purpose and groundwater recharge. Though livestock watering is one of the major uses of small reservoirs in the Volta River basin of West Africa, there is limited information...

In 2014, IWMI developed a business model around fecal sludge into compost (Fortifer), which brought together JVL (A private waste management company) and TMA (a public institution) in a public-private partnership agreement. It subsequently led to the construction of the first ever Fortifer production plant located in the Greater Accra Region of Gha...

The results of dry spell analysis, water requirement and effective rainfall indicated up to 330 mm water deficit for growing sorghum and long maturing variety of maize. Such water deficit resulted in up to 40% yield reduction of crops. Therefore, there is a need for appropriate technologies and practices to mitigate water deficit in the study area....

Limited access to water, droughts, floods and other climatic conditions are major challenges to food security in Ghana. Over 70% of smallholder farmers in the country practice rainfed agriculture, which is highly vulnerable to rainfall variability. Flooding and waterlogging of farmlands limit land use and crop productivity. The Bhungroo Irrigati...

Sustainable intensification for smallholder farming systems in sub-humid and semiarid zones of West Africa critically hinges not only on agronomy and crop varieties but also the management of on-farm water in rainfed and dry seasons to enhance crop and livestock productivities. Long term dry spell analysis was carried out using INSTAT+ v3.37 and CR...

http://hdl.handle.net/10568/81313

The study was to assess the: (i) effect of human urine and other organic inputs on cabbage growth, yield, nutrient uptake, N-use efficiency, and soil chemical characteristics; (ii) economic returns of the use of urine and/or other organic inputs as a source of fertiliser for cabbage production. To meet these objectives, participatory field trials w...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore people’s perceptions, stated attitudes, and observed and reported behaviour to water and other environmental quality. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted a mixed method approach. It employed a cross-sectional survey design. Ten communities were selected in Accra and its surrounding comm...

Fecal sludge (FS) contains significant amounts of plant nutrients and organic matter although it also contains pathogens. Therefore, FS can be used as fertilizer after proper sanitization. This study was designed to test dried fecal sludge (DFS)-based pellet fertilizers on maize cultivation. The DFS fertilizers were produced by composting, co-compo...

This working paper was based on the study on multiple uses of small reservoirs in the Volta River Basin of Burkina Faso. The study was conducted in communities using five small reservoirs in Yatenga Province. The aim of the study was to document the multiple uses of small reservoirs in the study sites with an emphasis on access to, and use by, live...

Water management strategies and allocation policies that support agricultural intensification across agro-ecological zones and hydrologic basins are required for building resilient agrarian communities in sub-Saharan Africa. We provide an overview of the research and investments needed to enhance agriculture in the region, with a focus on technolog...

 Agriculture remains vital to the economy of most African countries and its development has significant implications for food security and poverty reduction in the region. Increase in agricultural production over the past decades has mainly been due to land area expansion, with very little change in production techniques and limited improvement in...

This paper presents the results of research conducted in Accra, Ghana, aimed at understanding how access to water allows small-scale, water-dependent livelihoods to contribute to the household income of urban and peri-urban communities. Ten communities were selected in Accra and its surrounding communities to reflect different levels of infrastruct...

Excreta are rich sources of essential plant nutrients and organic matter that can be recycled and used as fertiliser or soil conditioner, thus improving soil structure, increasing water-holding capacity, reducing pests and diseases, and neutralising soil toxins and heavy metals. Since 2001, IWMI has been working to understand the principles underly...

Fecal sludge (FS) contains important quantities of organic matter and nutrients that are valuable for agricultural production. Several approaches have been attempted over time for recovery of these assets. Presently, resource conservation and proper use of available materials are highly valued practices. This document describes technical solutions...

Market studies in Ghana have revealed a potential for composted or cocomposted fecal matter as nutrient source inputs for agricultural production. To increase the marketability of such products, high nutrient value and easier handling/transporting options are among the significant factors which drive demand. Pelletization is seen as a potentially i...

As urbanisation increases, so does the challenge of meeting water, sanitation and food requirements in urban areas. In particular, the management of human excreta from on-site sanitation facilities remains a challenge and continues to endanger public health and degrades the environment through soil and water pollution. Yet much of the excreta consi...

Urbanisation is increasingly affecting inter-sectoral water allocations. This paper looks beyond physical water transfers at the larger urban water footprint and how much it is affecting the urban periphery in the case of four cities in West Africa (Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Ouagadougou). The results showed a water footprint variation between 892 a...

The continual cropping of vegetable lands in the city of Accra necessitates the application of fertiliser in order to improve and sustain production. This paper addresses the question as to whether it is feasible to up-scale and use sanitised human urine as an alternative low-cost fertiliser for vegetable farming in Accra. The study used survey dat...

The entire population of over 2.5 million people living in Ibadan city of Nigeria depends on farmers within and around the city to supply up to 80% of their vegetables, estimated at about 900 tonnes per day. This study was carried out to establish the presence, types, systems and institutional linkages influencing the urban and peri-urban vegetable...

Tion system. It has been given little formal support or recognition by city authorities in the development plans. Recent development programmes have continued to raise awareness about this phenomenon, and local authorities have begun to understand the role UPA can play in improving urban food supply and reducing poverty. Constraints to UPA such as...

Ghana is confronted with waste management challenges, with 20-40% uncollected solid waste in most cities. Also, large volumes of faecal sludge are discharged untreated into the environment. Although these wastes pose serious environmental concerns, they also contain nutrients and organic matter essential for improving soil agricultural productivity...

This paper describes a study that was aimed at optimizing the pelletization of fecal sludge-based fertilizers for agricultural use. The process developed is easy to implement and increases the marketability of the products while also addressing a serious health and environmental challenge. The study took place during the period 2011-2012 in Ghana....

In order for research to influence decision makers, different approaches to facilitate the impact pathways are possible. Multi-stakeholder Policy Formulation and Action Planning (MPAP) is one approach that can be used to facilitate long-term policy change. In this approach, stakeholders are engaged in a participatory manner and carefully guided thr...

The study investigated the perception of farmers about the use of urine for growing vegetables in Ibadan. A sample of 60 vegetable farmers that participated in the practical demonstration of the method was taken and data were analysed with descriptive and Logit regression. Results show that majority of the farmers were young adults. Willingness to...

Crop production in most developing countries is faced with a dearth of resources for optimum production of which fertilizer is one. The use of human urine as well as its mixture with compost are potential solutions to this problem. Thus, this report investigated the influence of human urine and its combination with compost on yield and soil quality...

This paper describes the pelletization process of faecal sludge-based fertilizers. The equipment used for the process was fabricated locally in Ghana. Each fertilizer product was individually used for the production of cylindrical pellets. From the current study, the binding material type (cassava starch, either pregelatinized or pretreated by gamm...

This article examines the sustainability of livelihoods through urban agriculture (UA): gender dimensions in Accra, Ghana. The population used for the study was the vegetable producers within and around Accra, Ghana. A mix of sampling techniques was followed in choosing UA producers. While a random sampling technique was employed in choosing male U...

Eighty percent of the fresh leafy vegetables consumed by about three million people who live in Ibadan city of Nigeria and its environ are produced within and around the city by farmers in backyards, vacant land, near streams, road sides, barracks and government offices. Due to lack of adequate training among other factors, farmers make sub-optimal...

Opportunities for public–private partnerships based on cost recovery from the reuse of human waste remain unexplored. In this paper, the authors present four potential business models involving aquaculture, biogas recovery, compost production and the use of faecal sludge as an industrial fuel, and describe their associated financial flows. The busi...

This paper presents findings of a land-use and land-cover (LULC) change mapping exercise conducted in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Nine LULC classes were mapped from multi-temporal Landsat data of 1974, 1986 and 2000. Special attention was given to the growth or otherwise of agricultural land in relation to other LULC classes. Conversion of one land-use...

This paper examines the sustainability of livelihoods through Urban Agriculture: Gender dimensions in Accra, Ghana. The population used for the study was the vegetable producers within and around Accra, Ghana. A mix of sampling techniques was followed in choosing UA producers. While a random sampling technique was employed in choosing male UA produ...

Soil degradation and the high cost of inorganic fertilizers have contributed to reduced crop yields and farm incomes which has further exacerbated poverty among farming households. The adoption of human excreta as nutrient and organic matter source in crop production is investigated. The paper examines cultural attitude and farmers’ perception on i...

Population growth, urban expansion and economic development are increasing competition for water use between agriculture and other users. In addition, the high rate of soil degradation and declining soil moisture in the Sub-Saharan African Region have called for several crop production management and irrigation options to improve soil fertility, re...

Failings in conventional water management have led to the approach of Integrated Urban Water Management which seeks to close the loop in the water cycle. This paper reviews how the SWITCH consortium (of 33 partners) is dealing with stakeholder engagement in a complex research area and the related challenges and achievements. Gaps between theory and...

This research is aimed at investigating the effect of different particle sizes of sand for the dewatering of faecal sludge with respect to the dewatering time, contaminant load in the percolate, rate of clogging and quantity of biosolids produced. Three filter media FM1, FM2 and FM3 were used to dewater the faecal sludge. The experiment was conduct...

In Accra, Ghana, one of ten SWITCH focus cities, the LA through the working group on water use for urban agriculture, initiated participatory action research activities on technological innovations to minimise risks associated with urban water reuse for agriculture within the context of integrated urban water management. The purpose was to demonstr...

Municipal authorities in developing countries are facing immense challenges in managing both solid and liquid waste in a sustainable way. Recycling is not yet high on their agenda although they appreciate the potential of composting for waste volume reduction. This offers an entry point to introduce organic waste recycling as a component of sustain...

This paper presents the potentials and performance of combined treatment of faecal sludge (FS) and municipal solid waste (SW) through co-composting. The objectives were to investigate the appropriate SW type, SW/FS mixing ratio and the effect of turning frequency on compost maturity and quality. Solid waste (SW, as market waste, MW, or household wa...

Recovery of the organic fraction of municipal waste for peri-urban agriculture could contribute to the improvement of environmental sanitation and increase agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, municipal waste co-compost (Co) has low nitrogen (N) content. Therefore, this study investigated the type and form of inorganic N fertil...

Gender analysis in agricultural production is important for creating a level playing field for both men and women farmers. This is especially important in urban agriculture which is commercialized and characterized by competition for resources. This study was conducted in Accra, Ghana, with a focus on open-space urban vegetable production. Gender-d...

This volume follows from a project of the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture that brought together experts in fields ranging across the social sciences, ecology, agricultural sciences, soil and water science, political science and development studies to examine examples of success in reversing land degradation, understand t...

This volume follows from a project of the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture that brought together experts in fields ranging across the social sciences, ecology, agricultural sciences, soil and water science, political science and development studies to examine examples of success in reversing land degradation, understand t...

Informal irrigation is receiving increasing attention in West Africa. In particular, irrigated urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) is thriving with significant benefits for farmers and the urban populations, though it is often handicapped by water pollution which threatens public health and prevents authorities from appreciating its advantages....

In this study, plant growth hormones in compost or co-compost prepared from human excreta and/or municipal solid waste were extracted and identified. Water (deionized) or 80% methanol (chilled) extracts were prepared from the composts for the isolation and identification of plant growth substances. The methanolic extracts of plant growth hormones f...