Attitudes and Perceptions on the Agricultural Use of Human Excreta and Human Excreta Derived Materials: A Scoping Review

Abstract

This study explicates the scope of published literature on the influence of attitudes and perceptions on the intention to use human excreta and human excreta derived materials in agriculture. Using a scoping review methodology, search results from Scopus and Web of Science were screened and synthesized using the DistillerSR web-based application. Out of the 1192 studies identified, 22 published articles met the inclusion criteria. Additional studies were identified by keyword enrichment, hand-searching, and snowballing in other electronic data bases. The benefit perception of the soil health, income, and yield was the main driver for positive attitudes. Perceived health risk and socio-cultural factors were reported as the main barriers to the use of human excreta derived materials in agriculture. Limited information, availability, collection, transport, and storage were the other reported perceived barriers. The influence of socioeconomic and demographic factors on farmers’ attitudes and perceptions was inconclusive, which is potentially attributed to contextual and methodological differences. Social and behavior change communication through community mass campaigns and targeting interventions segregated by socioeconomic and demographic contexts is recommended for development interventions. Future empirical studies could focus on the influence of crop types, treatment processes, food preparation and processing on attitudes and perceptions.

Behavioral intentions of rural farmers to recycle human excreta in agriculture

“…The objective of the study was to scope and synthesise the stock of published research on the social acceptance of human excreta reuse in agriculture. The findings demonstrate the paucity of published scientific knowledge on social acceptance of human excreta, and the inconclusive influence of demographic, sociological, and economic farmer characteristics on social acceptance 49 . It was impossible to draw meaningful conclusions from the small sample of published work.…”

Determinants for Deployment of Climate-Smart Integrated Pest Management Practices: A Meta-Analysis Approach

“…Broadly, CS-IPM is a process that can be realized by synchronizing knowledge about the biology of the targeted pests, the technology to curb these pests, and the pests' environment, while observing the minimum possible economic thresholds and damages to humans and the environment [4,5,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Egan et al [4] more particularly define CS-IPM as an integrated approach that uses conservative and naturally eco-system compatible practices to minimize or stop pest insects, pathogens, and weeds to subsequently minimize farmers' dependence on chemical pesticides and thus damage to human and environmental health.…”

“…The role of institutions, farm households' socio-economic context, the location biophysical, and characteristics of the new technology, among others, are vital determinants in the implementation and adoption of CSATs, including CS-IPM [4,5,11,[17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. On the other hand, IPM, in general, focuses on a synchronized usage of various strategies to achieve optimal control of any pests (vertebrates, pathogens, or insects) while maximizing economic benefits and the wellness of the respective ecosystem [9,14,16,21,23]. Under IPM, various pests are targeted simultaneously and monitored consistently [4,14,16,21,23].…”

“…On the other hand, IPM, in general, focuses on a synchronized usage of various strategies to achieve optimal control of any pests (vertebrates, pathogens, or insects) while maximizing economic benefits and the wellness of the respective ecosystem [9,14,16,21,23]. Under IPM, various pests are targeted simultaneously and monitored consistently [4,14,16,21,23]. Under IPM, one must ensure that pesticides are used viably economically and that the strategies used to combat pests are well integrated either vertically (within certain pest types) or horizontally (across various pests) [4,9,14,16,21,23].…”

Psychometric analysis of the ecological dispositions of rural farming communities in South Africa: Implications for human excreta reuse in agriculture

“…The positive mean scoring of the other attitudinal dimensions may illustrate this cognitive compensatory behaviour. The results of the scoping review [84] concluded that health risk perception was reported as the main potential barrier to the use of excreta-based fertilisers in 12 out of 22 studies included in the review [71,[85][86][87][88][89][90][91]. The findings suggest that with proper messaging and targeting, it is possible to identify farmers to champion the dissemination of technological innovations.…”