Marginal Water Resources for Food Production – Challenges for Enhancing De-growth and Circular Economy in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries and Iran

This contribution reviews current efforts in the region, and compares reuse trends in Iran and Gulf Cooperation Council countries.Agricultural production in the Gulf region is naturally constrained by water scarcity and alternative water sources are therefore highly needed. The impacts of unsustainable water use on the limited, non-renewable groundwater resources are disastrous in terms of declining groundwater table, increased salinity and farm closures. In Iran, water is more available but water scarcity is increasing due to the rapid growth of economy and population, but also due to waste and overuse. Marginal water resources –un utilized water of lower quality - such as urban wastewater, stormwater, as well as saline water, can provide important options for sustainable local food production. Although some new water sources, such as treated wastewater, are being increasingly used, the use in agriculture or other close-to-person uses are still not common. At the same time, different water sources can be used or combined for food production, e.g. marine-terrestrial agriculture or the utilization of harvested or drained water. In this context, this comparative review analyses the use of these marginal resources for food production as a way to enhance de-growth and a circular economy in urban areas of the region. It first highlights the available marginal resources and conceptualizes the use of these resources in the context of sustainability paradigms, such as de-growth and circular production. At the same time, policy challenges are highlighted and this paper advocates the use and potential of new resources such as treated municipal wastewater.For a wide use to happen, such new water sources need to be appropriately identified, treated, delivered and accepted by society and end-users.