Y1 Progress report | Jabulani Nyengere

Addressing Disproportionate Impact of Climate Change:

Development and Upscaling Granulated Urine Fertilisers to Enhance

Food Security in Southern Malawi’s

During the first year of the research project, substantial progress was made in moving the study from an approved concept into an active research and implementation pathway. The project addresses the disproportionate impacts of climate change on marginalised farming communities in southern Malawi, particularly those affected by Tropical Cyclone Freddy. The cyclone worsened livelihood insecurity, damaged agricultural systems and increased farmers’ difficulties in accessing conventional chemical fertilisers. In response, the project focuses on developing and scaling up granulated urine-based fertilisers as a locally adaptable, lower-cost, and more sustainable option for maize production in cyclone-affected areas.

The year began with project consolidation, stakeholder identification and refinement of the implementation plan. The research problem was sharpened to focus on the limitations of liquid urine fertiliser in sandy soils. Although urine contains valuable nitrogen for crop production, its liquid form is prone to nutrient losses through leaching and volatilisation, while its strong odour can reduce farmer acceptance. The project, therefore, seeks to convert urine-derived nutrients into granulated fertiliser using locally available rock materials as mineral additives and carriers. This is expected to improve nutrient retention, handling, storage, field application and community acceptance.

Technical progress was made through the identification, collection and assessment of locally available rock materials for blending with urine-derived nutrients. Field visits were conducted to assess potential rock sources, collect samples and examine their suitability for fertiliser formulation. Corrections to previously assessed samples were completed, and further testing was conducted to validate their use for nutrient enhancement and granule development. These activities are important because the effectiveness of granulated fertiliser depends on the physical and chemical properties of the raw materials, including particle size, mineral composition, and nutrient retention capacity.

A major milestone was the purchase of the granulation machine and mixer required for pilot-scale production of the rock-blended urine fertiliser. The equipment was procured, manufactured, inspected and prepared for installation and commissioning. Its acquisition is a central achievement because it moves the project from conceptual and laboratory preparation into a production-ready stage. The machine will support controlled mixing, granule formation, process optimisation and test runs to assess throughput, granule quality and mixing uniformity. It also strengthens the practical feasibility of scaling the innovation beyond small laboratory trials.

Progress was also made in experimental preparation and field implementation. Fertiliser Trial 1 was established as a first step toward evaluating agronomic performance under real farming conditions. The trial design compares control plots with conventional chemical fertiliser, granulated urine fertiliser, and liquid urine fertiliser. This will help determine whether granulated urine fertiliser can improve maize performance compared with liquid urine and conventional fertiliser under the soil and livelihood conditions of the target communities. Baseline soil sampling, plot identification, field mapping, and data collection procedures were initiated to support subsequent analyses of soil nitrogen availability, plant growth, nutrient uptake, and biomass- and yield-related indicators.

Stakeholder engagement was another major area of progress. The project engaged the Department of Agricultural Research Services, Phalombe District Council, local NGOs and community-based organisations, Extension Planning Areas, agricultural extension workers, smallholder farmers and Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST). These stakeholders supported community entry, technical validation, field coordination, farmer mobilisation and research implementation. Their involvement is essential because the project depends on both scientific reliability and social acceptance. Farmer training has been positioned as a later-stage activity that will become more intensive once the granulated fertiliser is ready for practical demonstration.

The project also produced important scientific outputs. Two manuscripts were submitted to peer-reviewed journals and are currently under review. These manuscripts contribute to the evidence base on nutrient recovery, urine-based fertiliser development, sustainable fertiliser innovation and waste-to-fertiliser systems. Literature accessed through University of Pretoria credentials and journal repositories helped strengthen these outputs and will support later dissemination, policy engagement and academic visibility.

Some challenges were encountered during the year. Procurement of specialised equipment took longer than expected due to supplier coordination, manufacturing timelines, and the need to ensure the machine met project requirements. Field activities also required careful coordination because the target communities are climate-affected and resource-constrained. In addition, some community members required further explanation about the safety, odour management and cultural acceptability of urine-based fertiliser. These concerns were addressed through transparent discussion, the involvement of extension workers, and an emphasis on granulation to improve handling and acceptability.

Over the last 12 months, my understanding of transdisciplinary research has shifted from seeing it mainly as collaboration across academic disciplines to understanding it as a process of co-producing knowledge with the people, institutions, and communities affected by the problem. At the beginning, the project appeared largely technical: collect urine, identify rock materials, granulate, test the fertiliser and analyse maize performance. During implementation, however, it became clear that the scientific success of the fertiliser is only one part of the innovation pathway. The project now sits at the intersection of climate adaptation, agronomy, soil science, sanitation, waste recovery, community beliefs, farmer decision-making and local governance. For the work to be meaningful, farmers must understand the technology, extension officers must communicate it, district authorities must support field activities, and laboratory findings must be translated into locally usable practice. This has shown me that transdisciplinary research requires continuous negotiation between scientific evidence and lived experience.

The positive experience has been the willingness of many farmers, local leaders and extension workers to discuss alternatives to conventional fertilisers. Community members have shown interest when the project is explained in terms of food security, soil improvement, reduced dependence on expensive inputs and potential local production. Their knowledge of soils, rainfall behaviour, field history, and local farming constraints has helped the team understand where experimental plots are most meaningful.

Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and belief systems have emerged in several ways during the fieldwork. Farmers possess detailed local knowledge about soil behaviour, rainfall timing, crop performance, field histories and the types of inputs that work under their conditions. This knowledge has been useful in identifying suitable trial sites and understanding the practical constraints that may affect the fertiliser's adoption. At the same time, the project has encountered beliefs and perceptions about the use of urine in crop production. For some farmers, urine is viewed as a waste product rather than an immediate fertiliser resource. Odour, hygiene and cultural perceptions influence whether the technology is seen as appropriate. Rather than dismissing these concerns, the project has treated them as important social data. The granulation process is therefore not only a technical improvement; it is also a response to local acceptability concerns, as it can reduce odour, improve appearance, and make the application more like ordinary granular fertiliser. This experience has reinforced that IK should not be treated as an obstacle. It is a knowledge system that can reveal why some technologies succeed and others fail. The project now pays closer attention to how farmers explain soil fertility, input use, crop response and risk before proposing technical solutions.

One interesting experience occurred during community and field discussions when the team explained that urine, usually treated as waste, could be converted into a granulated fertiliser that looks and is handled more like conventional fertiliser. Some community members initially reacted with surprise and humour because they associated urine with unpleasant smells and poor hygiene. However, the discussion became productive when the granulation process was explained as a way to reduce odour, improve handling, and turn a locally available resource into a soil-fertility input.

Another memorable moment occurred during rock sample collection under dry field conditions. The work showed how a material that appears ordinary in the landscape can become part of a climate-resilience technology when combined with scientific testing and local farming needs. These encounters helped reinforce the value of explaining science in simple, practical terms and allowing communities to question the technology before accepting it.

Annual report submitted by Dr Jabulani Nyengere

(summarised for publication by Heidi Sonnekus for the FAR-LeaF Programme)