{"id":12866,"date":"2026-05-05T16:34:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T14:34:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comite-costea.fr\/actualite\/enhancing-reuse-in-tunisia-a-strategic-approach-to-the-climate-challenge\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T14:09:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T12:09:05","slug":"enhancing-reuse-in-tunisia-a-strategic-approach-to-the-climate-challenge","status":"publish","type":"actualite","link":"https:\/\/www.comite-costea.fr\/en\/actualite\/enhancing-reuse-in-tunisia-a-strategic-approach-to-the-climate-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Enhancing REUSE in Tunisia: A Strategic Approach to the Climate Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a context of increasing water resource scarcity, the Mediterranean region has<\/b><\/span> always stood out as a climate change hotspot, where water stress directly affects agricultural systems. <\/b> <\/p>\n

In Tunisia, these challenges are particularly significant: pressure on conventional resources, combined with a strong reliance on irrigated<\/b><\/span> agriculture, imposes de repenser en profondeur les mod\u00e8les de gestion de l<\/b>\u2019<\/span>eau.<\/b><\/p>\n

In this context, reclaimed wastewater reuse (REUSE) emerges as a strategic response. Considered a resource in its own right since the 1990s, it s<\/b>\u2019<\/span>inscrit au c\u0153ur des politiques nationales visant \u00e0 s\u00e9curiser l<\/b>\u2019<\/span>acc\u00e8s \u00e0 l<\/b>\u2019<\/span>eau, \u00e0 renforcer la r\u00e9silience des syst\u00e8mes agricoles et \u00e0 accompagner l<\/b>\u2019<\/span>adaptation au changement climatique.<\/b><\/p>\n

REUSE: A Systemic Response to a Structural Challenge<\/b><\/h1>\n

In Tunisia, REUSE s\u2019<\/span>inscrit pleinement dans les strat\u00e9gies nationales de mobilisation des ressources en eau non conventionnelles, aux c\u00f4t\u00e9s du dessalement.<\/p>\n

More than a strictly technical solution, it involves a global transformation of water and agricultural systems, encompassing a complete chain d\u2019<\/span>actors and processes:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • water volume production and availability d\u2019<\/span>eau<\/li>\n
  • treatment technologies<\/li>\n
  • management and distribution<\/li>\n
  • agricultural practices and sectors<\/li>\n
  • social acceptability and markets<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    However, several challenges persist because its deployment relies on a central condition: moving from d\u2019<\/span>une approche technique \u00e0 une approche syst\u00e9mique, int\u00e9grant gouvernance, usages, risques et dynamiques territoriales, pour garantir une qualit\u00e9 d\u2019<\/span>eau compatible avec les usages agricoles, lever les freins li\u00e9s \u00e0 l\u2019<\/span>acceptabilit\u00e9 par les consommateurs, adapter les infrastructures (stockage, pompage, distribution) et coordonner des acteurs issus de secteurs distincts (eau, agriculture, sant\u00e9).<\/p>\n

    The main challenge today is no longer just producing compliant water, but managing risks throughout the value chain, in an integrated, multi-stakeholder approach.<\/p>\n

    REUSE: A Foundational Initiative for COSTEA from the Outset<\/b><\/span><\/b><\/h1>\n
    \"\"
    One of our 4 flagship themes: wastewater reuse for agriculture (REUSE) \u00a9COSTEA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Since 2018, COSTEA s\u2019<\/span>est engag\u00e9 sur les enjeux de REUSE en Tunisie, faisant progressivement de cette th\u00e9matique un axe structurant de ses travaux. Here\u2019s a look at the main stages of this involvement: <\/p>\n

    International Exploratory Phase<\/b><\/h3>\n
      \n
    • \n
        \n
      • Inter-country workshops (notably in Lyon)<\/li>\n
      • Structuring d\u2019<\/span>une premi\u00e8re communaut\u00e9 d\u2019<\/span>acteurs autour de la REUSE<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        In-depth National Diagnosis<\/b><\/h3>\n
          \n
        • \n
            \n
          • Analysis of regulatory and governance frameworks<\/li>\n
          • Inter-stakeholder coordination: appointment of a SCP (Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Canal de Provence) coordinator, an ONAS (Office National de l\u2019Assainissement) expert, and a consultant specializing in participatory facilitation<\/li>\n
          • Regulatory and governance benchmark<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Territorial Work<\/b><\/h3>\n
              \n
            • \n
                \n
              • Case studies on two study areas in Tunisia (Souhil in Nabeul and El Hajeb in Sfax) across two types of systems<\/li>\n
              • Large-scale peri-urban systems<\/li>\n
              • Decentralized rural systems<\/li>\n
              • Workshop organization<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                Production and Capitalization<\/b><\/h3>\n
                  \n
                • \n
                    \n
                  • Study reports<\/li>\n
                  • Restitution workshop<\/li>\n
                  • Publications of good practice references (Bolivia and Senegal)<\/li>\n
                  • Position paper<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    As a member state of the Steering Committee (COPIL), the country plays an active role in l\u2019<\/span>orientation des travaux du r\u00e9seau, car son positionnement repose sur deux dimensions cl\u00e9s:<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    • a strong political priority<\/b> given to REUSE<\/li>\n
                    • a role as a \u201c<\/span>laboratory country\u201d<\/b>, capable of producing concrete and operational feedback d\u2019<\/span>exp\u00e9rience concrets et op\u00e9rationnels et d\u2019<\/span>ancrer les travaux du COSTEA dans des r\u00e9alit\u00e9s terrain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      From this perspective, the country appears as a major innovation ground d\u2019<\/span>innovation majeur, dont les enseignements alimentent une r\u00e9flexion \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9chelle internationale.<\/p>\n

                      What the Field Confirms: Five Key Lessons<\/b><\/h1>\n
                      \"\"
                      Training dedicated to the \u201cmulti-barrier\u201d approach, aimed at ensuring the sanitary safety of REUSE \u00a9COSTEA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

                      COSTEA’s work, consolidated by Tunisian and international feedback d\u2019<\/span>exp\u00e9rience tunisiens et internationaux, mettent en \u00e9vidence plusieurs leviers essentiels pour une op\u00e9rationnalisation r\u00e9ussie de la REUSE:<\/p>\n

                        \n
                      1. Consider REUSE as an integrated system<\/b>
                        \u2192<\/span> Au-del\u00e0 du traitement, c\u2019<\/span>est l\u2019<\/span>ensemble de la cha\u00eene de valeur qui doit \u00eatre structur\u00e9<\/li>\n
                      2. Adapt treatment levels to agricultural uses<\/b>
                        \u2192<\/span> adapt treatment levels to authorized agricultural uses<\/li>\n
                      3. Structure regulatory and governance frameworks<\/b>
                        \u2192<\/span> Clarify roles and strengthen intersectoral coordination<\/li>\n
                      4. Integrate social acceptability issues<\/b><\/span><\/b>
                        \u2192<\/span> Condition cl\u00e9 pour le d\u00e9ploiement \u00e0 grande \u00e9chelle<\/li>\n
                      5. Position REUSE as a climate adaptation lever<\/b><\/span><\/b>
                        \u2192<\/span> S\u00e9curisation de l\u2019<\/span>irrigation, r\u00e9duction de la pression sur les nappes et barrages<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                        Training at the Heart of Operationalization: The Multi-Barrier Approach<\/b><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/b><\/h1>\n
                        \"\"
                        The training brought together diverse stakeholders: public decision-makers, agricultural sector representatives, and trainers \u00a9COSTEA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

                        In continuation of this work, COSTEA organized a training session in Tunisia last January dedicated to l\u2019<\/span>approche dite \u201c<\/span>multi-barri\u00e8res\u201d, visant \u00e0 s\u00e9curiser la REUSE sur le plan sanitaire.<\/strong><\/p>\n

                        Using an innovative pedagogical approach, the training s\u2019<\/span>est appuy\u00e9e sur des visites de terrain sur des sites pilotes, et sur un jeu s\u00e9rieux, l\u2019<\/span>outil AMBRE, simulant des sc\u00e9narios de gestion des risques et r\u00e9unissait des acteurs divers : d\u00e9cideurs publics, repr\u00e9sentants du secteur agricole et formateurs<\/p>\n

                        Unlike a top-down approach, this operational and systemic co-construction process fosters ownership, as it allows each stakeholder to contribute to defining solutions.<\/p>\n

                        Participants were thus able to:<\/p>\n

                          \n
                        • Understand health and environmental risks<\/li>\n
                        • Identify exposure pathways d\u2019<\/span>exposition<\/li>\n
                        • Develop adapted risk management plans<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                          The video produced on this occasion documents this experience and highlights the complexity of health issues related to REUSE and l\u2019<\/span>importance d\u2019<\/span>une approche int\u00e9gr\u00e9e et multi-acteurs.<\/p>\n

                          It concretely illustrates COSTEA’s positioning: connecting knowledge production, training, and public action to accelerate l\u2019<\/span>op\u00e9rationnalisation et montre la capacit\u00e9 des dispositifs de formation \u00e0 transformer les pratiques.<\/p>\n

                          Through its work in Tunisia, the COSTEA think tank confirms that REUSE constitutes a strategic lever for the future of irrigation, as it will ultimately secure water resources sustainably, support the agroecological transition, and strengthen the resilience of territories in the face of climate change. <\/b><\/h4>\n

                           <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                          In a context of increasing water resource scarcity, the Mediterranean region has always stood out as a climate change hotspot, where water stress directly affects agricultural systems. In Tunisia, these challenges are particularly significant: pressure on conventional resources, combined with a strong reliance on irrigated agriculture, imposes de repenser en profondeur les mod\u00e8les de gestion […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"template":"","tags":[],"localisation":[267],"type_contenu":[273],"class_list":["post-12866","actualite","type-actualite","status-publish","hentry","localisation-tunisia","type_contenu-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comite-costea.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite\/12866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comite-costea.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comite-costea.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/actualite"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comite-costea.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.comite-costea.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite\/12866\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comite-costea.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comite-costea.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12866"},{"taxonomy":"localisation","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comite-costea.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/localisation?post=12866"},{"taxonomy":"type_contenu","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comite-costea.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_contenu?post=12866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}