The Italian and Tunisian partners of the MEDISS project finally meet in Sardinia (Italy).

During the first day of the meeting, the staff of Institut des Régions Arides (IRA) de Médenine visited the pilot plant of Arborea, met the local communities, the Arborea producers' cooperative and the mayor of Arborea, Dr Manuela Pintus.

The second day of the bilateral is entirely committed to the study and research activities accompanying the MEDISS project, in particular the activities dedicated to Water and soil monitoring systems. The partners have visited the AGRIS Sardegna (Agency for Agricultural Research) laboratories, which are actively involved in monitoring the nitrate level of the Arborea system, and the ENAS (Sardinia Water Board) laboratories, the real focal point of the Water and soil monitoring system of the MEDISS project.

After lunch, in the afternoon, the Ira Médenine staff visited the University of Cagliari to participate in a meeting with the professors responsible for scientific research, Prof. Giovanni Sistu and Carlo Perelli (MEDISS project manager) and with the Senior Facilitator, Prof. Aide Esu.
ENAS experts, Dr Maria Antonietta Dessena and Dr Andrea Virdis, and Communication staff, Dr Anna Pireddu and Dr Michela Cordeddu, also took part.

The meeting was an opportunity for the Médenine research centre to show the progress in their pilot plant and analyse the results of water and soil samples after the use of treated wastewater.
Encouraging data shows that soils irrigated with treated wastewater are more fertile and richer in minerals.

The presentation offered food for thought for the exchange of information and good practices between the technical partners Ira and ENAS.
Finally, the strategies for communicating the analyses’ results to Tunisian farmers and their awareness of these issues were defined.