Dr. Olfa Mahjoub, coordinator of BONEX in Tunisia, has contributed with Prof. Hiroshan Hettiarachichi, formerly Head of Unit-Waste Management at UNU-FLORES (Germany), and national, regional, and local stakeholders, to the book “GATEWAY TO THE FUTURE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN. Water, energy, food and the environment” with a paper about BONEX demo site of Ouardanine, in Tunisia. The book was jointly published by Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Union and The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).

The case study titled “Wastewater reuse for a new cropping system” and featured by the title “Diversity, Sustainability, and Tradition” is showcasing the NEXUS approach under the reuse of wastewater for agricultural irrigation. It is highlighting the importance of wastewater reuse in changing the present and reshaping the future of a rural community for whom reclaimed water is the unique resource to sustain the agricultural system, to build resilience to drought and to preserve the environment. The irrigated area has gone profound transformation of the relationships between water, energy, and food within a context based on tradition and identity.

The chapter is also offering an overview on the interlinkages, with two components at a time, between the WEFE Nexus components and their respective scores. Besides, it is highlighting the relevance of the WEFE Nexus to the SDGs and illustrating the impacts of the reuse on the different SDGs and scoring the sustainability of the system.

The paper has partially allowed setting the ground of the study carried out in Ouardanine within BONEX where the WEFE will be implemented and will progress from theory to practice.

Special thanks go to Prof. Hiroshan Hettiarachichi.

You can dive into it to discover various case studies on WEFE and beautiful art work.

Link to the publication for download.