Implementation Areas

Demonstration actions constitute a big part of the project and last in total 2.5 years. The proposal foresees two demonstration actions, one in Spain and one in Italy, during which the responsible Beneficiaries will use treated (and untreated) AW to cultivate different crops. Crops that were selected (vegetables, cereals and ornamentals) are representative of the Med agricultural sector, water and fertilizer consuming but also important for the national economies of the involved countries and also for Europe, since Spain and Italy are among the leaders in vegetables, cereals and ornamentals production.

Application includes the use of wastewater for irrigation and fertilization and also the use of composts for soil quality improvement. The beneficiaries will also test soil additives/improvers which are expected to improve soil quality characteristics and retain harmful or toxic constituents of wastes.

Each one of the demonstration actions constitutes of two sub-actions

  • cultivation in greenhouse, and
  • open field cultivation.

Thus, there will be two pilot areas in each country (Spain and Italy), in other words four pilot areas in total, which will be accessible through open days, visits and organized workshops to stakeholders, scientists and policy makers.

In Spain, demonstration actions will take place at CEBAS’s premises, and in specific they include:

  • Open field cultivations at CEBAS’s premises (SE Spain) where cereals (barley or wheat and maize) will be cultivated, and
  • Protected cultivations at CEBAS’s greenhouses in Murcia, where vegetables (lettuce and melon or tomato) will be cultivated

In Italy, demonstration actions will take place at CERSAA’ s premises, and in specific they include:

  • Open field cultivations (lettuce and cabbage), and
  • Protected cultivations in greenhouses (basil and ornamentals)

Each one of the Beneficiaries (CERSAA and CEBAS-CSIC) will provide an area of almost 2,500 m2 for open field cultivations and a greenhouse of almost 200 m2. Greenhouses are built with metallic structure and are equipped with cooling system and intelligent control for monitoring environmental parameters (humidity, temperature and lighting), as well as recirculation of nutrient solutions and indicators of plant physiological state. The experimental fields are also equipped with electrical transformers, reservoirs, rooms with motors and irrigation heads.