OP5 - Goals Articulation, Survey and Analysis

In OP4 I described an initiative I started for introducing and encouraging wider application of home composting, where an NGO was planning an activity to perform a composting experiment in the field. The outcomes of this experiment were to be shared  in a national workshop.

Unfortunately the field day was cancelled due to deteriorating security situation in Damascus surrounding. Consequently the NGO entirely lost interest in the activity.

As a result, I had to redesign my initiative to find other routes for achieving the end goal of introducing compost at wider level, taking into consideration the following:

• The war situation in Syria is creating daunting issues, and adding more complications to existing one, consequently there is a stressing need for low-tech, effective, and small-scale solutions. This provides a good opportunity for introducing composting as a dual solution to organic waste issue, and loss of soil fertility at the same time.
• A window is still open for introducing new solutions to important stakeholders like UNDP, the GEF SGP, and others in academic and governmental levels, where such solutions, if proven effective, have a big chance for out-scaling
• Interest is already raised around this issue at different levels. Many people in my surrounding are personally interested and looking for doing their own experiments.

My second approach was producing a research paper providing basic knowledge on composting, the huge variety of methods and approaches that make composting doable in almost any situation, how composting is practiced and encouraged in other parts of the world, and potentials for spreading this technique in Syria. This research paper will document all the knowledge I gained on this subject, and will become a reference for me and anyone interested in building their knowledge on composting. I see content of this paper as building blocks that I can choose from, construct in various shapes based on what the situation needs. By shedding light on efforts made by governments and other donors for mainstreaming home-composting, and providing many examples on home-composting, I hope this paper would encourage and inspire further efforts on both individual and official levels.

 Outcomes expected from the research paper:

• Introduce composting as a tested and scientifically proven solution.
• Have in hand a credible and convincing source of information to be shared with people in both academic and executive sectors
• Cover for the sharp lack of easy-to-use and practical resources on composting in Arabic language.
• Provide baseline information on the type and level of work that has been done around composting in Syria, efforts that were already made to spread this practice, and results achieved so far to build upon.

On academic level:

• Provide an example of balancing academic work with real-life applications.
• Sharing this example with other students in Syria to provide an applied example of experiential research.

And on the personal level

• Building my knowledge of home composting on strong basis, leading to more literate and confident attitude in sharing this knowledge.
• Build my capacity in the field of academic research

Based on the research paper the following products are planned:

• Articles for website and magazine: the article is going to be simplified, less technical, full of illustrations and visual aid to give guidance to beginners on how to establish their own compost bins, and how to make decision on methods to be used, and how to address common problems.
• Slide show presentation: for sharing the research results with interested audience
• Pamphlet or instruction paper in Arabic with composting tips and advice

Situation in Syria

Composting is a widely popular solution for turning problematic organic waste into a soil fertilizer using simple and low tech methods. The importance of such a solution increases sharply in a war zone like Syria where public services are suffering due to deteriorating security situation therefore domestic waste collection and proper processing are highly insufficient. For example, the municipal waste processing facility In Damascus, where waste used to be sorted and organic parts composted, was put out of service due to tensed security situation in that area. Also, waste collecting vehicles sometimes cannot reach conflict areas leading to dangerous accumulation of solid waste.

Additionally, shortage of oil supplies is strongly affecting agriculture by cutting transport routes, increasing prices of synthetic fertilizers, and limiting use of agricultural machinery.

On the other hand, composting is can be easily attributed to local heritage and mentality. The following practices provide a good entry point:

• In ancient agricultural practices, organic waste are usually piled and left for 1-2 years to decompose then used as fertilizer  
• Animal manures are commonly dried for few years then  used as organic  fertilizer in farms, gardens, even in containers in urban agriculture.
• In few municipal waste management facilities, organic waste is separated and turned into compost.
• Before composting was introduced to municipal waste processing, It is reported that some villagers used to purchase mature waste from landfills, remove bigger parts using a sieve, then use the material as fertilizer
• The Master Plan of Waste Management in Syria, prepared by a French company on behalf of the Syrian Ministry of Local Administration and Environment recommended home-composting as a way for reducing flow of organic waste to landfills.

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