FUMA Videos Inspire Others to Explore the Use of Urine as a Fertilizer

The FUMA Gaskiya FRN’s study of sanitized human urine, or oga, as a fertilizer is inspiring others around the world. The CCRP earlier supported a video on FUMA’s work, “How Farmers from Niger Came to Use Human Urine as Fertilizer (Luo),” which has been viewed more than 1,500 times in its Luo and Swahili versions. A complementary video, “Fertilizer Everyone Can Afford! (Swahili),” shows the methods used by the FUMA Gaskiya farmers. A couple of organizations based in the USA saw the videos and got excited about the work. They invited a CCRP project team to discuss how to amplify the approach in Africa in collaboration with Catholic and Anglican dioceses. The team was also invited to contribute to the 2020 Virtual Summit on “Reclaiming Urine as a Resource.” The panel featured Aminou Ali, the leader of FUMA Gaskiya; CCRP representatives Batamaka Somé, Mary Richardson, and Rebecca Nelson; and Kevin McLean of the NGO Sun24. The Urine Summit was hosted by the Rich Earth Institute in Vermont, USA, and attended by upwards of 100 people from many parts of the world.