Between 27 and 28 October, the 16 partners of the I-ReWater consortium will travel to Montpellier (Occitanie region, France) to meet in person for the second time since the kick-off in February in Lugo (Galicia, Spain). The host organisation will be INRAE (National Institute for Research in Agriculture, Food and the Environment).
Then, between Tuesday 29 and Thursday 31, the team will attend REUSE EUROMED 2024 (Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Wastewater Reuse), co-organised by Eau, Agriculture et Territoires (formerly AFEID), the INRAE REUSE Network and the EACC Partnership Chair: Water, Agriculture and Climate Change.
This forum will also present the results of the Life Cycle Analysis of the Vineyard Pilot Project in La Rioja, managed by the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ICVV).
What is the objective of I-ReWater?
The main objective of I-ReWater is to improve water resource management in agriculture by integrating the use of reclaimed urban water in 15 irrigated crops (hops, olive trees, vineyards, almond trees and horticultural crops), taking into account environmental aspects that ensure its proper use in light of the current climate crisis.
All reclaimed water will come from WWTPs, wineries, food industries or partner facilities that have previously undergone mandatory sanitary treatment and passed analyses for use in agriculture and subsequent human consumption. Once in the field, the water is stored in tanks or ponds near the pilot sites.
The I-ReWater consortium is made up of:
Partners from Spain:
- Escola Politécnica Superior de Enxeñería do Campus Terra, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela – USC (leader)
- Andalusia Environment and Water Agency (AMAYA)
- Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB)
- Juana de Vega Foundation
- Gestagua
- Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ICVV)
- IRTA (Institute for Agrifood Research and Technology)
- Office of Irrigation of the Department of Climate Action and Rural Agenda (OdR) of the Generalitat de Catalunya
- University of Córdoba (UCO). Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering. Department of Agronomy
Partners from Portugal:
- Águas do Norte, S.A.
- National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research, IP (INIAV, IP)
- Polytechnic Institute of Bragança
- University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences. Department of Agronomy
Partners in France:
- HOPEN – Terre de houblon
- INRAE (National Institute for Research in Agriculture, Food and the Environment)
Partner from Andorra:
- Government of Andorra
I-ReWater was approved during the first call for proposals for the Interreg Sudoe Programme 2021-2027 and has a budget of over €2.2 million, 75% of which is financed by the ERDF.
