AM4.2 Sustainable Food Security through Increased Agricultural Productivity by the Use of Treated Wastewater or Low Quality Water

University of Nebraska

Wed, 14/03/2012 / Wed, 14/03/2012

Treated wastewater represents an under-utilized source of water for crop production. In most cases, treated wastewater is discharged to a receiving stream or an ocean outfall. Similarly, there may be opportunities for the use of low quality water as a water source for production of selected crops. In order to feed the growing world population, the use of treated wastewater or low quality water represents an opportunity to expand the water supply for crop production without using freshwater sources that may already be stressed due to competing uses. Simply put, we can have "more crop per drop" with water that may otherwise be discharged to a river or the ocean. Intervention measures may include capturing wastewater after conventional treatment, providing any necessary additional treatment, and diverting it to agricultural land as irrigation water. It may supplement freshwater irrigation or be utilized as the sole source of irrigation water

University of Nebraska
(Marseille, France)