Manurial value of khat waste vermicompost from Awday, Harar town, Ethiopia

Abstract

Purpose Catha edulis, commonly called as khat or chat is an evergreen plant cultivated in Ethiopia for its stimulant leaves. The young leaves are chewed as a part of social recreation and the older leaves along with the twigs are discarded. This forms the major part of municipal solid waste that is dumped in large quantity in Harar region. The present study was carried in Haramaya University, Ethiopia to decompose the khat wastes along with crop residues and different animal manures (cow dung, goat manure, poultry manure and swine manure) using the earthworm Eisenia foetida. Methods The collected khat wastes along with crop residues and different animal manures were vermicomposted and assessed for nutrient contents using standard procedures. Results The result of the experiment indicated that all the parameters were improved by the decomposition using earthworms and the C/N ratio was within the limits that indicate the maturity of the compost. The organic carbon, organic matter, total nitrogen, phosphorus, copper, iron, zinc and manganese contents were analyzed and found to be improved after decomposition. The added crop residues and animal manures enhanced the decomposition process and manurial value of the khat leaf waste. ConclusionThe nutrient content of the vermicomposts revealed khat to be a suitable substrate for vermicomposting thereby making efficient utilization of solid wastes. This can be an effective technology to reduce the solid waste and the resultant product can be used for improving soil fertility and crop production by the farmers.

Challenges of Smallholder Farming in Ethiopia and Opportunities by Adopting Climate-Smart Agriculture

“…Residues from khat or chat (Catha edulis) are other locally available and cheap organic sources and can be a basis for compost production. It was found that khat vermicompost had relatively high nutrients (1.6% N, 0.6% P) [183]. Another promising opportunity of using wastes to increase the fertility of soils is to produce biochar from wastes of the meat processing industry [65].…”

“…Another promising opportunity of using wastes to increase the fertility of soils is to produce biochar from wastes of the meat processing industry [65]. In addition, composting organic waste such as food waste and garden waste, which is disposed of in urban Ethiopia, can also be sources of organic fertilizer for agricultural use, as long as it does not contain critical levels of harmful substances [183][184][185].…”

Removal of fluoride from water using aluminum‐modified activated carbon prepared from khat (Catha edulis) stems

“…Ethiopia is the world's major producer of khat, with production continuously increasing, and it is the country's second biggest export product (Rather et al, 2021). The total amount produced has increased at a fast rate, increasing by 246% over the past 10 years, amounting to hundreds of millions of kilograms of khat per year (Rameshwar & Argaw, 2016).…”

Valorization of khat (Catha edulis) waste for the production of cellulose fibers and nanocrystals

“…Its fresh leaves are chewed by millions worldwide as a recreational drug on daily bases for its euphoric and psychostimulant effect [1]. Ethiopia is the world's largest producer of khat which has recently become the fastest growing export commodity [2,3]. Khat has been used for generations by all walks of life, including children, pregnant, breastfeeding women and patients on medication [4].…”

“…Moreover, the waste encourages some people to dispose more and therefore exacerbates the poor sanitation in the cities and towns. As the waste production is so enormous, it needs proper disposal mechanism [3]. The conversion of such a waste material into useful products such as cellulose and its derivatives would alleviate a variety of socioeconomic problems, providing a greener approach to utilizing the waste through addressing the ecological and economic issues: preventing deforestation and environmental pollution, and generating foreign currency.…”