Turning brown water into green produce : wastewater reuse in 22 Nicaraguan cities

The reuse of water is important in developing countries as they are often located in arid or semi-arid areas. They are home to three-quarters of the world’s irrigated area and very dependent on agriculture to feed their populations and increase income. In addition, agriculture is responsible for up to 80% of export earnings. However, in the literature, there is no comprehensive global inventory of the extent and characteristics of reuse practices (such information does not exist even for planned reuse in developed countries). Figures are difficult to obtain as farmers fear rejection of their produce as a result of public perception of water reuse. The need to collect more and better information to improve reuse practices and provide proper policy frameworks has motivated this study. The objectives were, firstly, to identify the characteristics of agricultural reuse practices in a water-rich developing country (Nicaragua) and, secondly, to begin to understand the perception of reuse among different groups of stakeholders in low-income regions. [authors abstract]