After initial discussions in 2016 and a first phase, the project “Sustainable Technologies and Services for Water and Land Management in Morocco “I-WALAMAR” came to an end in December 2022.
The final conference was held in Meknes at the Moulay Ismail University UMI and the National School of Agriculture in Meknes ENA, where all project partners presented their results. In addition, a training day was organised at the ENA for agricultural advisors on how to apply these results in the field.
The project results show how more food can be produced with less water. For example, hydrogels developed in the project can be used for this purpose. Progress has also been made on the degradability of hydrogels. The project also investigated and evaluated the safe use of wastewater and sewage sludge for food production in Morocco. The results from Ain Taoujdate show how it can be used safely. Different approaches to the treatment and reuse of wastewater and residues from the olive industry were investigated. For example, the use of biogas in agriculture and the removal and extraction of phenols from olive mill wastewater. Membranes made of clays from the Meknes region were developed to purify the wastewater and tested in a pilot plant at UMI. Many activities related to integrated water resources management have resumed and taken place, such as field missions for data collection, design, construction and testing of a pilot station for wastewater monitoring, extraction and geoprocessing, training and implementation of water resources monitoring and modelling.
Both the monitoring strategy and the water management model for the Sais plain have been finalised and will continue to be developed by the local partners after the end of the project.