SUCCESS STORY PRODUCTION OF COMPOST FROM WASTE ASH EXCREMENTS AND PLANTS 16

PRODUCTION OF COMPOST FROM WASTE, ASH, EXCREMENTS AND PLANTS - Quinoa and homemade organic fertilizer

SUCCESS STORY

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Technique:PRODUCTION OF COMPOST FROM WASTE, ASH, EXCREMENTS AND PLANTS Project:Quinoa and homemade organic fertilizer Site:Monguí, Colombia Location Click the globe to see the technique on Google Earth Continent: South America Country: Colombia Site: Monguí Coordinates: Lat.: 5.75 Long.: 72.83 Brief introduction In the midst of Colombia’s current agricultural crisis, in Monguí the farmers have joined forces to revive the land and give its inhabitants new opportunities. They have recovered the ancestral Andean custom of planting quinoa and other vegetables and enrich their fields with ecological worm fertilizer obtained from using and transforming the domestic waste produced by the municipality. Problems, causes and effects In the past few years, and immersed in an agricultural crisis, Colombia has been on a quest for solutions to improve the quality of its land, which has been devastated by ongoing erosion. In Monguí we find a successful example of how to bring the land to life and provide opportunities for its people. A group of farmers has united to create the AgroSolidarity Agri-Ecological Prosumer Association, Monguí section, to improve the quality of life of the members and their families by resuming ancestral customs and working on common projects to pool efforts. They decided to plant several vegetables and reintroduce the cultivation of quinoa, a traditional Andean cereal that had been forgotten for a long time but has gained worldwide popularity in recent decades thanks to its exceptional nutritional qualities.   Quinoa growing follows a production system involving organic farming. To make the entire process truly eco-friendly, it was decided to enrich the land with natural fertilizer. Thus, while fertilizing the land, a solution was found for domestic organic waste management. Colombia generates 27,000 tons of waste per day, of which only 10% is exploited by so-called informal recyclers. The remaining 90% is accumulated in landfill sites that are near capacity owing to a lack of staging areas. In Monguí they started to reduce this waste and reuse it to transform it into organic fertilizer for use on their quinoa and vegetable plantations. Solutions/Project description The project began in 2008 with an educational environmental campaign on separating organic waste in all of the town’s domestic units. AgroSolidaria, whose initiative it was and which is currently developing the project, coordinated with the Town council, the public waste treatment services and the region’s schools to reach the entire population. Solid waste from Monguí’s 800 kitchens is collected weekly and transported to the processing plant. Cattle waste from livestock ranches is also taken here. The members of AgroSolidaria begin the selection, pre-composting and feeding process of the worm beds, a natural and very economical process. With the help of millions of red Californian worms (Eisenia Foetida), which voraciously accept all kinds of farming and livestock waste, in about three months the waste is transformed into 100% biodegradable, natural humus. Conclusions Since the year 2009 the natural compost is distributed to the members of AgroSolidaria for fertilizing their quinoa and vegetable fields. This initiative fosters typically Andean eco-friendly farming that brings prosperity to the community and employs around 60 families, curbing the use of chemical fertilizers, which are very expensive and harmful to the land and to consumer health. Images TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUE DATA Technique PRODUCTION OF COMPOST FROM WASTE, ASH, EXCREMENTS AND PLANTS Icon Cathegory B - Agriculture Identification code B9f Other Success stories RELATED TECHNIQUES Author: Andres Rocha [Author of the form: Alanna Gerardi] Reference: http://fad.cat/citytocity/5/en/?p=38 DeepeningDownload PDF