The Resource Innovation Institute (RII), a not-for-profit, public-private partnership committed to advancing climate resilience, has revealed that its Resource Efficiency Horticulturist, Rob Eddy, will team up with Dr. Paul Fisher, a University of Florida Professor and Extension Specialist in Floriculture, and Rosa Raudales, Ph.D., a University of Connecticut Associate Professor in Horticulture and Greenhouse Extension Specialist, for an upcoming U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) webinar. The webinar will focus on designing and operating water circularity systems in greenhouses and indoor farms.
Webinar Details
The webinar is scheduled for September 14 at 2 p.m. EST and is sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Interested participants are required to register online on the day of the webinar. The session will feature insights from the co-authors of the recently published Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Water Circularity Best Practices Guide, including some of the report’s top findings and tips.
Importance of the Guide
Rob Eddy emphasized the significance of the guide, stating, “This guide is a first-of-its-kind report in North America and aims to help farm operators, utilities, ancillary product and service providers, and policymakers identify opportunities to advance agricultural water efficiency.” He added that collectively implementing these practices is the best way to make a meaningful impact.
Topics to be Covered
The webinar will delve into various aspects of water circularity, including:
- The economic rationale behind water circularity
- Methods to minimize irrigation system waste in evaporative cooling pads and reverse osmosis systems
- Risk factors—microbial, chemical, and physical—associated with irrigation water
- Updates on proven technologies for water disinfection and purification
Background
The CEA Water Circularity Best Practices Guide was published in June by the Resource Innovation Institute as part of a USDA NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant-funded project. The guide provides actionable tips and tools on the operational benefits of adopting water-saving practices and offers practical solutions to reduce, remediate, and recycle a CEA facility’s water usage.
Register here.
Photo by Lumin Osity on Unsplash
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