The Chair FACSA The Innovation in the Integrated Water Cycle program at the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló analyzed the water challenges facing the agricultural sector during a workshop attended by key associations and cooperatives such as the Federation of Agri-food Cooperatives of the Valencian Community, the Union of Farmers and Livestock Breeders, the Valencian Association of Farmers, and Real Export Coop. of Vila-Real; technological institutes such as the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA); and companies such as FACSA and the administration represented by the Provincial Council of Castelló.
Representing Universitat Jaume I were the University Institute of Pesticides and Water, the Chair of Economic Model Transformation, the Biochemistry and Biotechnology research group, the Waste Engineering and Multiphase Fluids research group, and the FACSA Chair of Innovation in the Integrated Water Cycle. The meeting also included the participation of the Deputy Vice-Rector for Transfer, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, David Cabedo.
During the event, innovation officer Laura Menéndez explained the WATER UJI project, under which this initiative is integrated, and its general lines of action. In addition, researcher Paloma Barreda analyzed the irrigation water needs of the sector, as well as potential alternatives for using reclaimed water. This type of analysis is linked to the development of water footprint calculations being carried out by the project's researchers.
During the meeting, common synergies were identified and priority lines of work were defined, such as the use of water from coastal wastewater treatment plants for citrus irrigation and even aquifer recharge, the use of water from inland wastewater treatment plants to stabilize almond and olive production, the possibility of storing reclaimed water, and the study of fertigation with by-products from the pig farming sector.
The WATER UJI project, led by the FACSA Chair of Innovation in the Integrated Water Cycle in conjunction with the University Institute of Pesticides and Water, is funded by the Valencian Innovation Agency through its talent development program. The project analyzes, together with leading companies, the intensive use of water in the various productive sectors of the province of Castellón.
Based on this assessment, research groups at Universitat Jaume I are encouraged to develop innovative technological solutions to reduce the net water balance, supporting solutions that reduce consumption, promote water reuse, or replace water with other alternatives where possible. As a result of these needs and the solutions provided by the research groups, WATER UJI supports the search for funding and projects that develop these solutions, ensuring they are aligned with European and national policies and facilitating their practical implementation with demonstrators operating in companies within the sector.
About the Chair
The FACSA Chair at the UJI was established in 2015 with the aim of promoting training, research, knowledge dissemination, and R&D in integrated water cycle management, as well as facilitating collaboration between the professional and academic sectors. Since its inception, it has organized 11 conferences, 23 seminars, and 16 courses at the national level, among other events, in addition to providing nearly 300 hours of active training and promoting numerous research projects and scholarships in this field.
