Health Risk Perception on Excreta Reuse for Peri-urban Agriculture in Southern Ghana

Access to proper sanitation and disposal sites for faecal sludge is problematic in Ghana, particularly in peri-urban communities. Using a cross-sectional household-level survey data, this study investigates farmers’ perceptions on the health risks of excreta reuse for peri-urban agriculture in Shai-Osudoku district in Ghana. It was found that a majority of the farmers ‘disagree’ that excreta are a waste and are willing to use excreta as fertilizer, albeit a majority ‘agreeing’ perception that excreta reuse can pose health risks. Empirical results from an ordered probit model show that the decision to use excreta as fertilizer is more related to perceptions on excreta as a resource rather than personal and farm characteristics. However, there is some relationship between personal and farm characteristics and perceptions on the health risks of excreta reuse for agricultural purpose. There is also a strong relationship between the perception that excreta are a waste and perceptions on the health risks of excreta reuse. Programmes aimed at promoting improved sanitation should consider the reuse potential of excreta in agriculture, as attested by the farmers as a resource for crop production. There is the need to educate farmers on how excreta could properly be handled and used in agriculture. Other policy options toward risk reducing strategies that involve relevant government institutions and the local media should also be considered to avoid any health hazards associated with excreta reuse in agriculture. Keywords: Sanitation, Excreta reuse, Health risk perception, Peri-urban agriculture, Ghana 1. Introductio

Willingness to Pay for Faecal Compost by Farmers in Southern Ghana

The use of faecal waste for agricultural production is practiced by farmers in most parts of Ghana. However, information about farmer acceptability and willingness to pay is not widely reported.  Using choice experiment, this study analyse willingness to pay for faecal compost by farmers in Ningo-Prampram and Shai-Osudoku in Southern Ghana. Data was collected from 200 randomly sampled farming households and analysed using basic and hybrid conditional logit models. Results show farmers’ marginal willingness to pay values of US$0.51 for packaging only, US$ 0.32 for labeling only and US$ 0.82 for packaging and labeling of 50kg faecal compost. Farmers` willingness to pay was significantly influenced by their knowledge on faecal waste re-use in agriculture and experience with use of animal manure. Product attributes such as price, packaging and labeling as well as farmer’s socio-demographic characteristics, such as monthly household income, household size and age also significantly influence farmers’ willingness to pay. Keywords: Choice Experiment, hybrid Conditional Logit, Faecal Compost, Ghan

Phylogenetically diverse Bradyrhizobium genospecies nodulate Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merril) in the northern savanna zones of Ghana

A total of 102 bacterial strains isolated from nodules of three Bambara groundnut and one soybean cultivars grown in nineteen soil samples collected from northern Ghana were characterized using multilocus gene sequence analysis. Based on a concatenated sequence analysis (glnII-rpoB-recA-gyrB-atpD-dnaK), 54 representative strains were distributed in 12 distinct lineages, many of which were placed mainly in the Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Bradyrhizobium elkanii supergroups. Twenty-four of the 54 representative strains belonged to seven putative novel species, while 30 were conspecific with four recognized Bradyrhizobium species. The nodA phylogeny placed all the representative strains in the cosmopolitan nodA clade III. The strains were further separated in seven nodA subclusters with reference strains mainly of African origin. The nifH phylogeny was somewhat congruent with the nodA phylogeny, but both symbiotic genes were mostly incongruent with the core housekeeping gene phylogeny indicating that the strains acquired their symbiotic genes horizontally from distantly related Bradyrhizobium species. Using redundancy analysis, the distribution of genospecies was found to be influenced by the edaphic factors of the respective sampling sites. In general, these results mainly underscore the high genetic diversity of Bambara groundnut-nodulating bradyrhizobia in Ghanaian soils and suggest a possible vast resource of adapted inoculant strains. In the northern savanna zones of Ghana, Bambara groundnut-nodulating Bradyrhizobium species are taxonomically diverse.Peer reviewe

Estimation of medium-term soil redistribution rates in Ibadan, Nigeria, by using the 137 Cs technique

Soil erosion is a widespread and serious problem in Nigeria, West Africa. The 137 Cs technique is an alternative to field plots for generating data on medium-term soil redistri bution. It was tested in 2007 in Ibadan, Nigeria, which means the firs t time in the derived savanna. To analyse the vertical and spatial distribution of this nuclide in the soil, core samples were taken either randomly or along transects in an uncultivated and a cultivated site. The study showed an accumulation of 137 Cs near the soil surface and a slow decr ease with depth in the undisturbed site. The arable land was characterized by an almost uniform 137 Cs distribution within the ploughed layer. The reference inventory of 137 Cs determined on the uncultivated site was 569.3 ± 150.1 Bq m -2 ; the inventory of 137 Cs on the field ranged from 96.9 to 1494.4 Bq m -2 . Comparisons with the reference inventory showed smaller values for the upper slope and higher values for the lower slope of the cultivated site, wh ich indicated soil redistribution. The conversion of the inventories into quantitative data of erosi on and deposition by a proportion model revealed, for example, that about 148.5 t ha -1 yr -1 were eroded from the cropland in furrows leading downslope. The estimated results were comparable to erosion measurements made nearby. Hence, the 137 Cs technique is useful as a method to generate data on soil redistribution a nd therefore a tool for improved natural resource management in Nigeria

Households’ Latrine Preference and Financing Mechanisms in Peri-urban Ghana

Using household-level survey data, this study investigates households’ latrine preference and financing mechanisms for improved latrines in the Ningo-Prampram district in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Descriptive and inferential analyses are employed for data analysis and reporting. The results of the study show that a majority of the sampled households practice open defecation due to lack of funds and space for an improved latrine. Most of the households prefer the flush/pour-flush to the piped sewer system latrine or the ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine. About half of the households prefer to use own funds via savings or ‘susu’ to build their latrines, and very few prefer funds from the financial institutions (FIs), albeit the FIs are interested in providing loans for household latrines. Empirical results from a binary logistic model show that there is some relationship between households’ latrine financing decisions and their socioeconomic and community characteristics, such as gender, education, household composition, income, tenancy, type of defecating practiced and type of community. The study recommends the need to educate households to consider ‘cheaper’ and more feasible latrine technologies, and also adopt joint-resource mobilization strategies for their latrines. There is also the need to educate the households on the possibility and conditions for alternative sources of funds for improved latrines. Policy efforts by the government and other stakeholders toward a sustainable uptake of improved sanitation should also consider the household and community factors that may influence a household’s latrine preference and financing decision. Keywords: Household latrine, financing mechanism, peri-urban Ghana, SUS