Embangweni, Malawi. Community Driven Demand for Improved Sanitation Facilities

Decreasing soil fertility and increasing costs of artificial fertiliser prompted the residents of Embangweni, Malawi, mainly subsistence farmers, to adopt ecological sanitation in their households. This provided the residents with treated human waste in the form of an economically viable fertiliser. A rapid uptake of the ecosan ideas occurred once the residents observed the link between the cost effective and rich fertiliser with a subsequent increase in crop yield in their fields. As a result, more than 1,500 ecosan toilets were constructed in Embangweni, and a total of 6,023 ecosan latrines having been constructed nationwide in Malawi by June 2005.

QUAYLE, T. (2012): Embangweni, Malawi. Community Driven Demand for Improved Sanitation Facilities. Cape Town: ICLEI Africa URL [Accessed: 28.05.2013]