Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali P.O. Box 3286, Rwanda.
Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Sep 12;20(18):6743. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20186743.
Ecological sanitation (Ecosan) by-products are inherently limited in their potential use as excreta resources. Disgust behind human excreta and derivatives continues to challenge the further use of Ecosan-by products. Although treated excreta, including Ecosan by-products, have gradually been adopted worldwide, diverse perspectives among users hinder their use in agro-practices. This study explored perceptions of the use of Ecosan-by products as relates to the disgust of human excreta among rural farmers in Burera district, Rwanda. A qualitative study was conducted amongst three farmers' cooperatives using Ecosan by-products. We conducted six focus group discussions (FDGs) comprising a total of 48 participants taking into account the following three themes: core excreta disgust, perceived waste, and perceived resource. Thematic analysis was conducted with similar perspectives identified and grouped under emerging sub-themes. The perspectives regarding disgust elicitors included stigma, eversion, phobia, taboos, and health risks. Ecosan by-products were largely perceived as useful, with most farmers trusting and willing to touch the by-products. Psychosocial barriers to using the by-products continued to slow down the adoption of Ecosan for agricultural options. There is a need for increased awareness to scale up the use of Ecosan coupled with effective treatment practices for the products so as to reverse the psychological barriers resulting from traditional excreta disgust over Ecosan-products of faeces and urine.
生态卫生（Ecosan）的副产物在用作排泄物资源方面的潜力有限。人类排泄物及其衍生物背后的厌恶感仍然在挑战 Ecosan 副产物的进一步使用。尽管包括 Ecosan 副产物在内的经过处理的排泄物已在全球范围内逐渐被采用，但用户之间的不同观点阻碍了它们在农业实践中的使用。本研究探讨了卢旺达布鲁拉地区农村农民对 Ecosan 副产物作为人类排泄物的使用的看法。在三个使用 Ecosan 副产物的农民合作社中进行了定性研究。我们进行了六次焦点小组讨论（FDG），共有 48 名参与者，考虑了以下三个主题：核心排泄物厌恶感、感知废物和感知资源。通过识别相似观点并将其分组为新兴子主题，对主题分析进行了分析。关于厌恶诱发因素的观点包括污名、外翻、恐惧症、禁忌和健康风险。Ecosan 副产物在很大程度上被认为是有用的，大多数农民信任并愿意接触副产物。使用副产物的心理障碍继续减缓了 Ecosan 在农业选择中的采用。需要提高认识，扩大 Ecosan 的使用，并对产品进行有效处理，以扭转由于传统排泄物对粪便和尿液的 Ecosan 产品的厌恶而产生的心理障碍。
