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How Mexican farmers and the environment are being helped by human waste

How Mexican farmers and the environment are being helped by human waste

A dry toilet on the grounds of the eco-farming project Arca Tierra on the edge of Mexico City

Artificial fertilizers are prohibited at Tomas Villanueva’s farm in Tepetixtla, Mexico’s small town. All the produce are fertilized with homemade human waste. He claims that pee and poop are bad images, but the composting process is more beneficial for the soil and biodiversity.

Agricultural runoff from artificial fertilizers is harming soil and insects and polluting water in Mexico, so some farmers, like Villanueva, are turning to composted human feces and urine to feed crops with the nutrients they need. Because excrement isn’t flushed in the sewage system, this process saves water as well as reduces pollution. The country has a lot of raw sewage that flows directly into rivers and lakes as well as the sea.

A dry toilet on the grounds of the eco-farming project Arca Tierra on the edge of Mexico City

A dry toilet located on the farm’s grounds. These toilets aren’t connected to the sewage line. This one collects and composts the waste. 

Project goal:Mexican farmers are using hygienic compost from human waste to fertilize their crops in an effort to help the environment.

Partner organizationsOllin Tlalli organic farm, farming project Arca Tierra, eco neighborhood EcotepecCesar Anorve was the architect who founded it.

A film by Anna-Marie Goretzki

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