Alisa Puga Keesey PhD Candidate
University of California , USA
Alisa Puga Keesey has over 30 years of experience in the international development sector and holds an MS in International Agricultural Development from the University of California, Davis. She is currently a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where her research focuses on cultural and institutional barriers to nutrient recovery from human excreta and the nutrient pollution crisis in Lake Victoria.
Articles written by Alisa Puga Keesey
Turning human Urine Into fertilizer: Practical and Business Insights for food security.
47 10. April 2026
Human urine may be one of the world’s most overlooked resources. Every person produces about 500 liters of urine per year, and it's rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the same nutrients found in chemical fertilizers farmers rely on to grow food. In fact, the nutrients from one person’s annual urine production can fertilize enough land to grow up to 270 kg of rice or 180 kg of wheat.
Despite its potential, urine recycling remains a rare practice globally. Why? Barriers like infrastructure gaps, technological hurdles, economic uncertainties, and social perceptions hold us back. But what if we could turn this "waste" into a circular economy, boosting sanitation, reducing pollution, and feeding communities, all at once?
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