CYCLER SUPPORT

Global water resources are becoming increasingly limited by having rising water demands in agriculture, households and industry. On the supply side, climate change causes irregular rainfall, growing dehydration of the landscape combined with high nutrient losses and extreme negative impacts for the agro-industry. A future perspective for arid areas will be the use of unconventional water sources, especially :

• technologies for proper re-use of wastewater in irrigation
• technologies for solar sea - or brackish water desalination
• technologies of rainwater harvesting

Until today, greenhouse horticulture is used in arid areas to minimise water consumption, especially by increasing air humidity and by reducing wind velocity around the crops. Different research activities, show very promising approaches to further reduce the water demand of horticultural production by implementing new technologies concerning the recycling of conventional and unconventional water input. These are mainly :

• the re-use of wastewater including pre-selection, pre-treatment and adapted irrigation technologies
• the use of seawater for evaporative greenhouse cooling
• the dehumidification of greenhouse air as a source of fresh water by specific methods of water condensation or water absorption and - desorption.

CYCLER-SUPPORT is a Specific Support Action financed by the European Union, aimed at the implementation of research activities related to wastewater use and - recycling within new generation greenhouse systems, adapted to the requirements of the Mediterranean Partner Countries. The cities of Agadir (Morocco) and Gabés (Tunisia) will be used as study-sites.