Reuse for a Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe: the WIRE AG
A. BatillaniWater & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
ISRAEL
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
Presented in 42 workshops/seminars/events19 events branded WIRE
Involved as Stakeholder in 28 new EU project proposalsIndicated as link with EIP water in 22 EU project
proposalsGrouping 52 Demosites
(last update December 2015)
More than 90%
of EU irrigated
areas covered by
WIRE
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
MISSION and PRIORITIESFOSTERING UPTAKE OF
INNOVATION IN IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE
ACTION LINES:- integrated agricultural water management under
drought- efficient water reuse in irrigation- energy saving in irrigation- contact group (knowledge exchange, co-creation)- expert group (market facilitators)
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
TAILORED TECHNICAL INNOVATION
INTERRA-Technology and process innovations for irrigation reuse of treated municipal and agro-industrial wastewaters in order to achieve sustainable water resources management
AQUEMFREE - In-Farm remediation by solar photocatalysis of agro-waste water with pesticides from remnants, cleaning and rinse
ReQpro – A model to reclaim and reuse wastewater for quality crop production
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
RichWater - First application and market introduction of combined wastewater treatment and reuse technology for agricultural purposes
Carbon source
Removing Nitrogen in constructed wetland
Removing P with a phosphor filter
Combined Treatment for N and P removal in Flandres
TAILORED TECHNICAL INNOVATION
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
NATURAL TREATMENT
W4Cs - Natural treatment systems for wastewater reuse in irrigation
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
ACQUIFER RECHARGE
KLIMZUG - Groundwater Recharge with cleaned wastewater
MAR4FARM - Managed Acquifer Recharge Dissemination activities in Arenales aquifer
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
TARGETED MANAGEMENT
IRIS – Intelligent Reclaimed Irrigation System -Eurostar Project
EARSAC pilot - Dissemination activities in Majorca island
OLIVE-WASTEWATER - Wastewater Reuse for Olive Irrigation
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
TARGETED MANAGEMENT
Reclaimed Water Use at Farm and Irrigation District in Miraflores (Spain)
Fiordelisi demo-site for agro-industrial wastewater reclamation for reuse in irrigation
Castellana Grotte demo-site for municipal wastewater treatment for reuse in irrigation
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
ON SHELF INNOVATION:PROJECT and DEMO SITES
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE
EXPERT GROUP
STANDALONEIRR.AGR.
DIAGNOSIS
Mapping of the deficiencies and barriers hampering innovation
in EU irrigated agriculture
Diagnosis of barriers and bottlenecks
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
Innovation barriers for water reuse in irrigation
Suboptimal use of alternative water resources Economically often not (yet) competitive Treated waste water does not comply with end users’
needs (e.g. nutrient content, inorganic and microbiological contaminants)
Need for improved water storage and purification / treatment to align quantity (quality) of alternative water supply with plant needs
Individual responsibility of farmers for risks (sanitary, financial)
Need to adapt irrigation technology (e.g. water filtering systems) to water reuse to avoid high maintenance cost and shortened irrigation system lifespan.
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
Negative perception / lack of acceptance of water reuse From Consumers point of view undifferentiated fears
concerning health risks and lack of awareness about possible crop contact with the reused irrigation water
Consumer rarely reward water reuse under of sustainability point of view
From farmers point of view great dependency on water supplier and fear of contaminants when using reclaimed water (food safety / farmers’ health/ soil contamination), but also fear of salinization of soils
Unsecure market access for crops produced when applying water reuse
Innovation barriers for water reuse in irrigation
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
Lack of knowledge on how to manage irrigation using alternative water
Need to set realistic targets for water reuse with sufficient flexibility
Need of improved knowledge transfer, training for adequate management and specific skills required when irrigating with alternative water resources
Site specific management (crops, soils, climates) and real time assessment of water quality
Technical difficulties in waste water treatment (adequate low-cost purification technology), storage (lack of land), and distribution infrastructures
Innovation barriers for water reuse in irrigation
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
Innovation barriers for water reuse in irrigation
Lack of financial incentives High treatment and installation cost Low return on investments (lifespan of investments in
irrigation infrastructure) Lack of support schemes for water reuse similar to those
for renewable energies to cover additional water costs
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe
Innovation barriers for water reuse in irrigation
Lack of legislation facilitating water reuse for irrigation Lack of coherent regulation across the EU and for 3rd country
imports for crops produced with reclaimed water No commonly agreed rules and safety measures / need for
a common approach across EU when applying water reuse For some countries too demanding, strict requirements in
national legislation, lacking flexibility regarding crops and uses
Need to ensure public health while taking into account various uses and users
AG112 - Water & Irrigated agriculture Resilient Europe