new study: Social Factors Impacting Use of EcoSan in Rural Indonesia

The  Social Factors Impacting Use of EcoSan in Rural Indonesia report came out in June 2010.

The Study Starts of stating the fact that “Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) 2010 data indicate that around 38% of the rural population has access to improved sanitation services and that open defecation remains a widespread practice for over 60 million Indonesians. “

With  a majority of Indonesia being  Muslims the study include a a look at Muslim teaching on the subject of sanitation.  “The study objective was to identify the social, religious, cultural and gender-related factors  which influence rural people’s attitudes towards urine and excreta-based fertilizers in general and the EcoSan urine diversion system in particular.  It doe not pretend to be anything but a modest study: ” the study does not seek to be a comprehensive reflection of the whole of Indonesia. Instead, it provides a preliminary assessment of attitudes towards EcoSan, and identifi es some key drivers and inhibitors…” It survey 350 people in 5 out of 33 provinces included Muslims, Christians and respondents with traditional
beliefs. Four producers and retailers of excreta and urine based fertilizer were also identifi ed and interviewed.

One of the key finding  come in this paragraph:

“The study data show that this is not only a Muslim religious objection,
but that Christians also consider it difficult to keep the excreta dry by not
using water above the disposal hole. While the percentage of Muslims who
considered it difficult to keep the disposal hole dry was fairly constant, the
percentage of Christians who felt this way varied from 35% in Kulon Progo,
Central Java to 78% in East Sumba. This confirms the assumption that
use of water for cleansing, where available, is also an Indonesian cultural
behavior that inhibits the use of a toilet system requiring dry storage. “

The study reports  the researchers’  findings that  more than “…80% of the respondents are willing to use urine or feces-based fertilizer.” The report goes on to say  a similar number are willing to consume products from  the fields using compost based fertilizer.  The hard part,  the study  states,  is only 50% of the people surveyed are will to to be involved in processing  the urine and feces to make the compost.  (I would like to know how this  compares to other locations around the world 50%  Seems high-  a positive rather than negative -  )

The study goes on to look at the roles/ potential roles  men and women of a family unit have on

• selecting fertilizer for crops, and for selection installing,toilets for the family.
• selecting toilets  installing them  and composting waste from them.

The conclusions are complex.  Hopefully organizations that want to just plop down ecosan units all  anywhere in the will carefully read this  short but informative report in its entirety. We must truly understand  the people, if  we / they are to have success  with  ecosan or any other viable alternative!

Report Sections

INTRODUCTION: ECOSAN IN INDONESIA

• Background
• Objective of the Study
• Consideration of EcoSan as a Sanitation Option
• Methodology

DEMAND FOR ORGANIC FERTILIZER EXISTS  ACROSS RELIGIONS AND REGIONS

• Excreta-based fertilizers are still a sensitive issue for some

RESERVATIONS ABOUT USING ECOSAN TOILETS

• Gender Differences

IS HUMAN EXCRETA-BASED FERTILIZER NAJIS?

CONCLUSIONS

Publishing Agency:

The Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) “…a multi-donor partnership administered by the World Bank to support poor people in obtaining affordable, safe and sustainable access to water and sanitation services.”

Editors/Authors/ Researchers:

The research was carried out by Entin Sriani Muslim assisted by Ana Nurhasanah in 2009. This learning
note was co-authored by Martin Albrecht, Isabel Blackett, and Ikabul Arianto and peer reviewed by
Eduardo Perez and Jeremy Colin.

Document type Pdf  with search-able  / selectable text. 4 pages  Includes images and graphs