Browsing by Author "Olupot, Giregon"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    How Safe is Chicken Litter for Land Application as an Organic Fertilizer? A Review
    (International journal of environmental research and public health, 2019) Kyakuwaire, Margaret; Olupot, Giregon; Amoding, Alice; Kizza, Peter Nkedi; Basamba, Twaha Ateenyi
    Chicken litter application on land as an organic fertilizer is the cheapest and most environmentally safe method of disposing of the volume generated from the rapidly expanding poultry industry worldwide. However, little is known about the safety of chicken litter for land application and general release into the environment. Bridging this knowledge gap is crucial for maximizing the benefits of chicken litter as an organic fertilizer and mitigating negative impacts on human and environmental health. The key safety concerns of chicken litter are its contamination with pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, helminthes, parasitic protozoa, and viruses; antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant genes; growth hormones such as egg and meat boosters; heavy metals; and pesticides. Despite the paucity of literature about chicken litter safety for land application, the existing information was scattered and disjointed in various sources, thus making them not easily accessible and difficult to interpret. We consolidated scattered pieces of information about known contaminants found in chicken litter that are of potential risk to human, animal, and environmental health and how they are spread. This review tested the hypothesis that in its current form, chicken litter does not meet the minimum standards for application as organic fertilizer. The review entails a meta-analysis of technical reports, conference proceedings, peer-reviewed journal articles, and internet texts. Our findings indicate that direct land application of chicken litter could be harming animal, human, and environmental health. For example, counts of pathogenic strains of Eschericia coli (105–1010 CFU g−1) and Coliform bacteria (106–108 CFU g−1) exceeded the maximum permissible limits (MPLs) for land application. In Australia, 100% of broiler litter tested was contaminated with Actinobacillus and re-used broiler litter was more contaminated with Salmonella than non-re-used broiler litter. Similarly, in the US, all (100%) broiler litter was contaminated with Eschericia coli containing genes resistant to over seven antibiotics, particularly amoxicillin, ceftiofur, tetracycline, and sulfonamide. Chicken litter is also contaminated with a vast array of antibiotics and heavy metals. There are no standards set specifically for chicken litter for most of its known contaminants. Even where standards exist for related products such as compost, there is wide variation across countries and bodies mandated to set standards for safe disposal of organic wastes. More rigorous studies are needed to ascertain the level of contamination in chicken litter from both broilers and layers, especially in developing countries where there is hardly any data; set standards for all the contaminants; and standardize these standards across all agencies, for safe disposal of chicken litter on land.
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    Nitrogen-neutrality: a step towards sustainability
    (Environmental Research Letters, 2014) Leip, Adrian; Leach, Allison; Musinguzi, Patrick; Tumwesigye, Trust; Olupot, Giregon; Tenywa, John Stephen; Mudiope, Joseph; Hutton, Olivia; Cordovil, Claudia M d S; Bekunda, Mateete
    We propose a novel indicator measuring one dimension of the sustainability of an entity in modern societies: Nitrogen-neutrality. N-neutrality strives to offset Nr releases an entity exerts on the environment from the release of reactive nitrogen (Nr) to the environment by reducing it and by offsetting the Nr releases elsewhere. N-neutrality also aims to increase awareness about the consequences of unintentional releases of nitrogen to the environment. N-neutrality is composed of two quantified elements: Nr released by an entity (e.g. on the basis of the N footprint) and Nr reduction from management and offset projects (N offset). It includes management strategies to reduce nitrogen losses before they occur (e.g., through energy conservation). Each of those elements faces specific challenges with regard to data availability and conceptual development. Impacts of Nr releases to the environment are manifold, and the impact profile of one unit of Nr release depends strongly on the compound released and the local susceptibility to Nr. As such, N-neutrality is more difficult to conceptualize and calculate than C-neutrality. We developed a workable conceptual framework for N-neutrality which was adapted for the 6th International Nitrogen Conference (N2013, Kampala, November 2013). Total N footprint of the surveyed meals at N2013 was 66 kg N. A total of US$ 3050 was collected from the participants and used to offset the conference's N footprint by supporting the UN Millennium Village cluster Ruhiira in South-Western Uganda. The concept needs further development in particular to better incorporate the spatio-temporal variability of impacts and to standardize the methods to quantify the required N offset to neutralize the Nr releases impact. Criteria for compensation projects need to be sharply defined to allow the development of a market for N offset certificates.
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    Novel Climate Smart Water and Nutrient Conservation Technologies for Optimizing Productivity of Marginal Coarse-Textured Soils
    (Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021) Olupot, Giregon; Smucker, A. J. M.; Kalyango, S.; Opolot, Emmanuel; Orum, Boniface; Musinguzi, Patrick,; Twaha, A. B.; Singh, B. R.
    Water and nutrients are the two most limiting factors to productivity especially under rain-fed agriculture (RFA) in moist, semi-arid and arid regions. The dramatic doubling in yields and production from the 1960s to the 1990s, were through rapid expansion into irrigated prime land (FAO 1986; Higgins et al. 1988; Fischer et al. 2010; FAO 2011a). The prospects of further expanding agriculture into uncultivated lands and, into lakes, rivers, swamps and marshes (as alternative sources of water) are bleak. Withdrawal and consumption of these resources have already surpassed the Earth’s supply and regeneration capacity (Fischer et al. 2010). Higgins et al. (1988) estimated water requirements for food intake (in cereal equivalents) of 300 kg cap−1 yr−1 at 600 to 3,000 m3 cap−1 yr−1 (1 m3 = 1,000 L). Out of the Earth’s renewable water resources totaling 42,000 km3 annually, 3,900 km−3 is already being abstracted from rivers and aquifers distributed as 70% (2,730 km3) irrigation, 19% (741 km3) industrial and 11% (429 km3) municipal uses (Fischer et al. 2010; FAO 2011a). Water withdrawals exceeding 20% exert substantial pressure on renewable freshwater resources and those exceeding 40% are considered critical (Fischer et al. 2010; FAO 2011a). Withdrawals in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia already exceed critical thresholds with demand outstripping supply, posing serious threats to ecological functions of the water resources (FAO 2011a; Fischer et al. 2010). China, India, USA, Russia, Germany and Pakistan dominate irrigated area globally (Higgins et al. 1988; Fischer et al. 2010; FAO 2011a).
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    Sustainable Land Management Paradigm: Harnessing Technologies for Nutrient and Water Management in the Great Lakes Region of Africa
    (Sustainability in Natural Resources Management and Land Planning, 2021) Musinguzi, Patrick; Ebanyat, Peter; Basamba, Twaha Ali; Tumuhairwe, John Baptist; Opolot, Emmanuel; Olupot, Giregon; Tenywa, John Stephen; Mwanjalolo, Jackson Gilbert Majaliwa
    Sustainable Land Management (SLM) is one of the transformative pillars for agricultural development and environment conservation for food, forage, fuel and fiber security. It aims at the tripartite benefits of high yields, environment protection and income security. The success of SLM is a function of adopting appropriate nutrient and water management practices. Several land management practices have been practiced by smallholder farms in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. However, there is still limited understanding of the level of acceptability of the various technologies in mitigating soil water shortage and nutrient depletion. This paper evaluates the SLM concept with focus on assessing sustainability in the use of various soil water and nutrient management technologies and practices. Nutrient management technologies assessed included a range of common inputs and practices in tropical farming systems. Soil water conservation technologies assessed included the physical, biological and agronomic measures. Analysis conducted suggest that few land users can afford to adopt most of the available technologies that define a full package for realization of the pillars of SLM. Integrated use of technologies remains the appropriate approach to responding to the alarming challenge of land degradation. Inclusion of social-cultural and economic factors in the application of SLM technologies of soil, water and nutrients is fundamental for increased adoption. Policies for SLM should target integrated technologies centered on people in order to achieve the ultimate goal of enhanced agricultural productivity, environment conservation and income in the Great Lakes Region of Africa.