Water-reuse context

According to the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), by 2025, 1.8 billion people will live in countries or regions with "absolute water scarcity", meaning a water availability of less than 100 m3/capita/year. Preserving water resources becomes a priority as stated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in SDG6, in the sense of saving volumes and reducing pollutions loads on surface and groundwater. The population growth will put more and more pressure on the food production, a large part being irrigated.

The increasing urbanization that goes with increasing domestic water and food requirements will again increase these pressures.

In this context, the treated wastewater reuse for irrigation appears to be a relevant solution to

1. reduce pollution and preserve sensitive environments,
2. facilitate farmers' access to a water resource of predictable volume for irrigation and
3. enhance the value of wastewater through a recycling of nutrients for agriculture, in a circular economy approach. However, such practices can raise sanitary issues with the possible introduction into the agro-ecosystems of chemical and biological contaminants (pathogens, micro-pollutants, antibiotic resistance bacteria and genes, etc.) that must be controlled.

Objectives

The MUSE workshop on "Agricultural Water Reuse» will be an opportunity to bring together a wide range of interdisciplinary experts and stakeholders involved in Wastewater reuse to address the actual scientific and technological challenges. One objective is the construction of an international scientific network of REUSE issues in collaboration between public organizations and private companies.

For this 1st edition, the program will focus on:

• Environmental and health risk research results and experiences
• In line with the new European regulations on wastewater reuse in agriculture: What is the future of reuse in Europe?
• The organization of a research school dedicated to PhD students