Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Toolbox

Using treated wastewater in forestry and agroforestry in drylands

Global changes in rainfall frequency and quantity are increasing the impacts of drought in arid and semi-arid regions, and such impacts are projected to increase under climate-change scenarios. In water-scarce environments, the safe use of wastewater can be an option for irrigating certain agricultural and forestry crops, helping to conserve freshwater. The purpose of this module is to provide forest and land managers with information on the safe use of wastewater for irrigation and soil amelioration in forestry and agroforestry systems in dry and degraded lands. The module aims at guiding users in planning reforestation and afforestation in drylands through the use of water produced in constructed wetlands and fertigation plants.

Study for the realization of fertigation projects in Tunisa
25 August 2015
FAO Project: "Forest restoration in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia using treated wastewater to sustain smallholders' and farmers' livelihoods" GCP/RAB/013/ITA. This case study presents two hypotheses for the implementation of a fertigation plant for olive trees in Tunisia.
The use of treated wastewater (TWW) in forest plantations in the Near East Region
25 August 2015
This paper is based upon a number of reports from individual countries of the Near East Region and selected FAO documents. The document may not represent a fully comprehensive view of the use of treated wastewater in forest plantation development for control of desertification in the region, but is representative...
Greening Brézina
25 August 2015
Animation showing the progressive greening of the Oasis of Brézina taken from Google satellite images, 2013. To start the animation, please, click on the tab ""slide show" above and select the option "from beginning". Then left click again to make it start.
The constructed wetland established to greening the desert in the Oasis of Brézina, Algeria
21 August 2015
This webpage collects material related to Brézina project. The objective of the FAO project in Algeria is to produce better quality wastewater, through phyto-remediation systems and the establishment of constructed wetlands. In Brezina the wastewater coming from the oasis will be treated and used to produce wood biomass for local...
Use of treated wastewater to fertigate the Green belt of Marrakesh, Morocco
21 August 2015
The webpage illustrates the use of treated wastewater to fertigate the Green belt of Marrakesh, Morocco. The project gives its support to the design and development of a ferti-irrigation system that will use partially treated wastewater for the irrigation of a 10-hectare section of the would-be Green Belt of Marrakesh...
The ferti-irrigation plant for the green belt of Marrakech, constraints and future developments
21 August 2015
This presentation illustrates the case study project design of the fertigation plant to be implemented for the establishment of the green belt of Marrakech, Morocco. The aim of the project is to study the feasibility of using treated wastewater by a specific treatment (preserve nutrients) and to reuse it in...