Identifying demand drivers for sanitation technologies - the case of Ecosan in Africa
Salifu, Lukman Y.
In identifying demand drivers for sanitation technologies, this note describes the case of Ecosan - Ecological Sanitation - which has made little progress in Africa despite decades of promotion by donors. The practical, and environmental benefits of "closing the loop", i.e., recycling the nutrients in excreta, seem remote to most poor African households. This lack of demand for Ecosan, in turn makes many sector practitioners question its potential. There are however, a number of physical conditions - including high water table, and hard rocky ground - which can increase the comparative advantage of many forms of Ecosan technology. But beyond these physical conditions, there are many factors that influence demand by households that need to be considered as well, such as the presence of small local operators involved in excreta handling. The note examines a number of physical, and non-physical "demand drivers" that may encourage households to adopt Ecosan solutions. It also discusses practical activities within the different segments of the "resource loop" and a number of factors, beyond the household level, that affect the communal adoption of Ecosan, and re-use of excreta.
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