The Editor, Sir:

Nothing will benefit human health and increase our chances of survival unless we can develop sustainable and environmentally friendly systems.

The recent brouhaha regarding the use of 'humanure' as fertiliser should be welcomed, not politicised or ridiculed. I see this as an opportunity for enlightenment from our scientists on possible health risks and the kind of crops it is recommended for.

We want see them take the lead on matters of national importance and not engage in intellectual dishonesty or cowardice. It is a sad fact that we cannot trust our politicians or their associates, because many times they do not tell the truth.

Not new to Jamaica

Human excrement as a fertiliser is not new to Jamaica. It has long been a practice in many communities for urine to be collected in bed pans/chimmies and thrown at roots of tree crops. Urine has a very low germ content and is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, some of the major nutrients needed by plants.

I discovered that Sweden, a country that has one of the highest living standards in the world, has approved as fertiliser, urine centrally collected and treated for use on farmland. India, China, the United States and Canada, among other countries, have in use waterless composting toilets that produce dry, odourless human excreta, which is then collected in bags and used as fertiliser. No plumbing, no pipes and no water is involved.

Human waste is an affordable and environmentally sound alternative to chemical fertiliaers. properly pasteurised, sterilised and heated to remove pathogens, it should be safer for our rivers and reefs than chemical fertilisers, while at the same time improve agricultural production and earnings and save foreign exchange.

Sustainable investment

This is an eco-friendly and sustainable investment opportunity and it is high time all the relevant scientific groups and agencies, along with agricultural experts and economists, get together with interested investors to at least reduce the country's dependence on imported chemical fertilisers.

Our Scientific Research Council, the University of the West Indies and the University of Technology, even in collaboration with the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales, should produce independent findings to inform the public.

Jamaica's food and economic security could very well be tied into products of the kind that could benefit our health while increasing our chances for survival in the global environment. The big question in my mind and that of many other Jamaicans is, 'is 'humanure' safe'?

I am, etc.,

Michael Spence

Micspen2@hotmail.com

PO Box 630

Liguanea, Kingston 6