Participatory workshop on the future of reclaimed water in La Axarquía

As part of the European project P2GreeN, and in collaboration with others o  our EU-funded projects such as NOVAFERT and AXARQUÍA SOSTENIBLE, from BIOAZUL we organized a visit on June 20, 2024, to the pilot site in La Axarquía (Málaga), followed by a participatory workshop on the future of reclaimed water for agricultural use in the region.

This workshop, under the slogan “Envisioning the Future of Reclaimed Water for Agricultural Use in La Axarquía and Beyond,” aimed to develop a joint and future vision on the reclamation of wastewater and its use in agriculture, along with the incorporation of smart fertigation tools, mainly in the region of La Axarquía but also extendable to the Mediterranean basin in Andalusia, over the next 10 years. The main goal was to define different trajectories that would identify the necessary activities to enable this vision and determine the stakeholders who should participate in its development.

The workshop was attended by 30 participants from various sectors: universities and research centers, technology companies, farmer associations and cooperatives, irrigation communities, public water companies, and public administration.

The results of this workshop contributed to the development of a customized roadmap regarding the use of reclaimed water in agriculture and the application of smart digital tools, to later provide valuable feedback and information to authorities and administration, technology developers, consumers, and other key actors.

During the workshop, the development of a joint vision was combined with “back-casting” and “design thinking” formats. “Back-casting” is a process that can be used in a variety of situations to develop a roadmap or path linking a desired future or vision with the present. Therefore, identifying and specifying the steps and actions needed to turn this vision into reality can help create a clearer picture of how we can achieve this vision. Additionally, to generate innovative ideas during the workshop, the “back-casting” approach was combined with a “design thinking” format. This is a work process that helps teams develop their creativity. It is based on a collaborative and creative approach that includes empathy, problem definition, idea generation, prototyping, and experimentation.

From the BIOAZUL, we are convinced that developing a shared vision can be a critical task towards a more sustainable and desirable future, serving to inspire, motivate, and provide clear direction and guidance, for example, in strategic decisions that help promote the use of reclaimed water in agriculture.

For this reason, we are quite happy the workshop was an exciting and engaging event, bringing together diverse stakeholders to collaboratively envision the future of reclaimed water use in agriculture. Moreover, all participants were energized by the innovative approaches discussed, which fostered creativity and produced actionable insights for a sustainable future.