GENERAL DEFINITION OF THE TECHNIQUE INTEGRATED CYCLE OF ORGANIC WASTE

GENERAL DEFINITION OF THE TECHNIQUE

Technique: INTEGRATED CYCLE OF ORGANIC WASTE Definition characters description and diffusion The traditional town integrates with agriculture by replacing the forest in desert areas, by collecting fertilizers produced by the inhabitants' organic waste and through its production of water collected on the roofs. The humus thus produced in the fields provides the colloidal material indespensible to build adobe towns. The cavity resulting from the excavation is used as an impluvium for water, a ditch for the transformation of excrement into humus, a productive garden protected by the outside excavated walls. This is a continuous cycle of activities in which the result of one forms the basis for the next. General characters description and diffusion The case of the Hadramaut calley in southern Yemen is a significant example of the persistence of an integrated traditional cycle. The town of Shibam with its supply of biological matter, allows the growth of the palm trees and agricultural production. A continuously interacting cycle starts. Not only do foodstuffs feed the population and return to the soil as fertilizer, but the entire city, with its forms and achitecture, is founded upon the eternal principle of the complete reuse of the resources. As a matter of fact, the material to build the city is obtained by excavations in the garden. This is the only kind of soil suitable for building because of its richness in humus that gives it binding properties. In fact, the sediments of the wadi would be sterile and unusable without the biological components produced by agriculture and the organic fertilizer deriving from human excrement. These practices are solutions to emergency of waste and excellent supply for soils. Advantages and sustainability Here nothing is wasted. Each cycle feeds into the next to create a balance of water, humus, food etc. so that a community can sustain itself.  Images Deepening TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUE DATA Technique INTEGRATED CYCLE OF ORGANIC WASTE Icon Cathegory B - Agriculture Identification code B9g Local applications of the technique Success stories Innovative technologies and solutions RELATED TECHNIQUES Author: IPOGEA, www.ipogea.org Other authors: Reference: