“CLEANER PRODUCTION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE TRANSITION” São Paulo – Brazil – May 20 th to 22 nd - 2015 Linking Sanitation to Agriculture: Recycling Nutrients from Human Excreta in Food Production CHRISPIM M. C a , SALINAS, D. P. b .; CANO, V.; NOLASCO, M. A. b* a. Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo *Corresponding author, mnolasco@usp.br Abstract Poor sanitation services and water scarcity have become a global issue and not only a problem relevant to arid zones. In addition, hunger and malnutrition, poverty and limited energy access that constrain the achievement of human wellbeing and economic growth are worldwide problems, including Brazil. Large conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants are often expensive to establish and difficult to operate. As a result many cities and villages in developing countries are unable to set up such facilities and operate them. Decentralized wastewater treatment systems have proved to be successful in many communities, particularly in peri-urban settlements in Asia and Africa. This approach is based on the principles of decentralization of responsability, simplification of technology and the focus is on recycling the waste and nutrients. Palavras-chave: human urine, ecological sanitation, unfertilized soil, urban agriculture, permaculture. 1. Introduction Appropriate sanitation is crucial for human health, dignity, poverty alleviation and sustainable development but several challenges such as inadequate access to sanitation facilities and to safe drinking water must be addressed. Diarrhea is the third major cause of death in children under five years 1,2 . In urban areas, less than 50% of Brazilian houses are connected by network sewers. In rural households, rudimentary septic tanks are the main solution, causing soil and groundwater contamination, increasing risks of drinking water from wells. Mostly of developing regions in world still lack wastewater collection and treatment, and this situation create a huge opportunity to plan, design and implement innovation in the water sector in order to approach the sewage management in a matter to maximize the treatment as a source of valuable products instead of a waste. Brazil has the highest rate of urbanization in Latin America, with 84.4% of its inhabitants living in cities. In some areas, including rural settlements and some of the