Overcoming soil phosphorus deficiency by novel and cost-efficient phosphate recycling from waste streams in the Philippines

Summary

Several rural areas in the Philippines have low agricultural productivity due to phosphorus (P) deficiency and lack of access to affordable fertilizers. In contrast, urban areas and areas with intensive agricultural practices are increasingly faced with excess nutrients and eutrophication of waterways. This project wants to address this local nutrient imbalance and, at the same time, overcome poverty. The original idea is to use novel low-cost methods to trap and concentrate P from urban waste streams (e.g. urine) and from drainage water of irrigated land and use these concentrates as low-cost fertilizers in areas with P deficiency. Three emerging technologies for P trapping will be compared and tested in the field with on-farm trials, one of which specifically fits with paddy rice production. A country-wide nutrient survey will be performed to map the P imbalances and allow the identification of areas where the nutrient recycling is economically viable and ecologically defensible. It will use information derived from interviews with key actors involved in the P loop: actors maintaining water systems and sewage treatments (water authorities/local government units) and farmers applying P to their fields. These interviews will evaluate the current linkages and the potential role and effects of gender in the adoption of the technology. Finally, these findings will be largely disseminated to farmers by extension workers. This project will strengthen the research capacity of the University of Los Banjos and intensify its collaboration with IRRI (CGIAR) in applied research on soil fertility.

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