The first international project in which CONSULAI is a partner ended in June 2021, SuWaNu Europe, a Thematic Network funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 programme. For two and a half years, this project explored the sustainable use of water and agricultural reuse options in Europe, in 8 different countries/regions, with Cyprus and Israel as inspiration cases.

Also in this semester and within the scope of the SuWaNu Europe project, a free online course was made available, which aims to transfer to the public the knowledge obtained by research institutions and professionals in the reuse of water for agriculture, including practical examples from several countries, the GreenDeal approach and the European Union Framework in this sector. The course features unique training material divided into different modules, with relevant knowledge, experiences and technologies, through the results obtained over more than 2 years of joint work, with special emphasis on the national partners of the CONSULAI and FENAREG consortium. The online course is available in all languages of the project target countries, including Portuguese. At the end of the course, after a final exam, a certificate of achievement is issued to each participant. Register and find out more by clicking on the image below:

To conclude, CONSULAI also organised the International Conference “Pathways to extend sustainable water reuse practices in Europe” which took place on 18 and 19 May 2021. This virtual event broadcast live worldwide, brought internationally recognised experts to create the necessary debate on the best solutions and strategies to expand water reuse in agriculture.  The aim of this conference was to disseminate the project objectives and results, strengthen the SuWaNu Europe network and allowing the exchange of knowledge and innovation between researchers and professionals within and outside the consortium. The conference was also an opportunity to present best practices in different countries, with special emphasis on Cyprus and Israel. For the conference, there was also a “Call for abstracts and posters”, inviting researchers and professionals from the sector to present the most innovative results and solutions during the conference. The conference was a great success with a total of more than 470 registrants from all over the world with different profiles, including researchers, students, consultants, technicians, policy makers, farmers, etc. The conference was recorded and is available on the project’s Youtube channel.

The official video of the project is also available on the Youtube channel.

All information about the results, training materials and activities are available for consultation and download on the project website at SuWaNu Europe.

SuWaNu EUROPE is focused on promoting the use of reclaimed water in agriculture as a Circular Economy approach to address water scarcity and the effects of climate change on water resources. In this sense, this project comes at a critical moment for water management in Portugal, due to the confluence of several national and European strategies, all focusing on the relevance and need to take advantage of urban reclaimed water. The reuse of water can only be a reality if it is effectively included in the various regional management plans!

We would also like to thank all those who participated in our events and helped us along the way. SuWaNu Europe will continue to be active through its social networks and website: “Because every drop counts”.