Incentive Systems for Use of Reclaimed Wastewater in Irrigated Agriculture in Jordan and Tunisia

Maher Abu-Madi*, Okke Braadbaart**, Rashed Al-Sa’ed*, and Guy Alaerts***

*Institute for Water Studies, Birzeit University
** Wageningen University and Research Center
*** UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education

Abstract
This paper analyzes and assesses the potential factors that promote or discourage the use of reclaimed wastewater in irrigated agriculture in Jordan and Tunisia as representative of the Middle East and North Africa region. To help understanding the underlying fundamental driving forces for wastewater reuse, a number of selected irrigation schemes were surveyed and methodological interviews with stakeholders were conducted as part of the fieldwork in Jordan and Tunisia. The selected stakeholders in each of the two countries represented governmental administrators, operational staff, farmers, and common public at household level. The regulatory, financial, and socio-cultural (dis) incentives were shown in the field surveys to be of great relevance in the shaping of the decisions of both the farmers – who have to buy the reclaimed water and apply certain agronomic approaches – and the public – that must decide whether to buy the crops watered with reclaimed wastewater. The most prominent factors are: (i) finding reliable users for reclaimed wastewater, (ii) awareness to change the attitudes of farmers and public, (iii) storage and reliability of supplies, (iv) farmers’ accessibility to freshwater, (v) stringent quality standards and regulations, (vi) farmers’ involvement, (vii) coordination and cooperation between the various institutions, (viii) the wastewater treatment approach with the discharge objective, and (ix) pricing of freshwater and reclaimed wastewater.

Keywords
Wastewater reuse; agricultural irrigation; incentives; disincentives; Jordan; Tunisia