Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, in collaboration with the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, will inaugurate tomorrow (Tuesday, January 14, 2014) a scientific conference on ‘The Use of Treated Wastewater in the Agricultural Production in the Arab World’ at Meydan Hotel in Dubai. The conference will be held under the theme “Current Status and Future Prospective.”

The high profile conference will host several dignitaries, including Ministers from Arab countries, Undersecretaries, Directors of agricultural research centers, senior executives from private sectors, and experts from UAE, Sultanate of Oman, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. International experts from the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), which is part of the League of Arab States, as well as representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank (IDP), and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) will also be present.

The seminar aims to present the summary of the researches and the practices of the countries that use the treated wastewater in the agricultural production in the Arab countries, especially with regard to the crop production and the best field management. It will also present the study on how the use of treated wastewater affects the quality of the plant and animal products, and evaluating the management practices of water irrigation and soil.

The conference will provide an insight into the environmental impacts on farmhouses and on the groundwater level. It also aims to review the guidelines, regulations, policies and strategies for the use of treated wastewater in the Arab countries, in addition to the assessment of economic, social and profitable use of treated wastewater in agricultural production.