Water and nutrients recovered from wastewater can irrigate and fertigate crops, build soil health and reduce dependence on synthetic fertilisers. But how significant is this potential for sustainable development and what does it mean beyond the farm gate?
A new publication by GEORGIA partner alchemia-nova investigates how resource-oriented sanitation (ROS), a circular approach that shifts the focus of sanitation from waste treatment to the sustainable recovery and reuse of water, nutrients and energy, connects to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and what this means for sustainable food systems.
The study systematically assesses the interactions between ROS and all SDG targets, confirming direct links to sustainable food production, through water and nutrient recovery and reuse, while also revealing broader sustainability implications spanning environmental, economic, social and governance dimensions.
The findings demonstrate that ROS functions as a cross-sectoral enabler within the water-energy-food-environment (WEFE) nexus. These findings are particularly relevant to the Проект GEORGIA, which implements circular and nature-based approaches across multiple pilots: on-site domestic wastewater treatment and reuse for irrigation and fertigation and nature-based sludge stabilisation for nutrient recovery in Austria and treated municipal wastewater reuse for agricultural irrigation across Pilots in Greece and Cyprus.
The study not only confirms the direct sustainability implications of these resource-oriented circular water management solutions for sustainable and resilient food systems, through improved water and nutrient availability, enhanced food security and reduced dependence on synthetic inputs – but also demonstrates their broader cross-sectoral enabling role, providing evidence across environmental, social, public health and governance dimensions. These findings support moving such solutions forward both technically and institutionally, contributing to GEORGIA’s mission of transforming water management for resilient farming in Europe.
The full paper is available open access here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2026.101517
