Acceptability of fecal sludge compost by farmers in Wakiso and Terego Districts, Uganda

Abstract

In most parts of Africa, crop yields have been constrained by soil infertility, which has driven up the demand for soil amendments. Mineral and organic fertilizers which are commonly used, face the challenge of availability, management and cost. This has resulted in their decreased use amongst smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. In an effort to reverse this, the use of fecal sludge compost (FSC) in farms presents an opportunity as it contains vital nutrients and can produce crop yields comparable to those grown with conventional fertilizers. However, fecal sludge compost is a relatively new development and has controversial perceptions which may limit its use. The objective of this study was to assess the acceptability of fecal sludge compost by farming households. This study was done in Wakiso and Terego districts, located in central and North-Western Uganda respectively. Data were collected from a randomly selected sample of 734 farmers. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and technology adoption theory were adopted in this study to conceptualize it and identify the dependent and independent variables. Factor analysis was used to determine the acceptability of fecal sludge compost by farming households. Subsequently, structural equation modelling was used to show the different factors influencing acceptability. Study findings showed that the perceptions of the farmers were generally positive. Acceptability was high amongst both rural (77%) and urban (76%) farmers in Wakiso and the rural farmers in Terego (85%). Attitude, subjective norm, perceptions, household income, years spent in school and household size showed a direct significant influence on acceptability. The study recommends that attitudes of farmers be improved by carrying out awareness campaigns on the use of fecal sludge compost through farmer field schools and by engaging community leaders in the dissemination strategies of such technology