Water scarcity is a growing challenge for agriculture in california and other arid regions

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $591,500 to The Regents of the University of California at Riverside on January 1, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program to develop practical on-farm solutions for safely using recycled water to irrigate food crops in California and other arid regions.

The project addresses contaminants of emerging concern—including pharmaceuticals and personal care products—that currently limit the use of treated wastewater for agricultural irrigation. The multidisciplinary team of environmental and agricultural engineers will design a mobile, light-based treatment system deployable directly on farms to reduce contamination before irrigation, and will conduct greenhouse studies to evaluate how adjusting irrigation practices based on crop growth stages can further minimize contaminant movement into edible plant portions. The most promising treatment and management strategies will be tested at field-scale irrigation demonstrations to assess real-world performance and practicality.

Work is performed in Riverside, California, with a period of performance from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2028. The project team will disseminate results through events at the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine, extension publications, and online resources for growers, water managers, and other stakeholders.

Recycled water (treated wastewater) has strong potential as an alternative irrigation source, but concerns about contaminants of emerging concern (cecs), such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, limit its broader use for food production. This project aims to address these concerns by developing practical, on-farm solutions that improve the safety and reliability of recycled water for irrigating food crops. In this project, a multidisciplinary team of environmental and agricultural engineers from the university of california, riverside will work together to advance innovative recycled water treatment and irrigation management strategies. The research will combine water treatment engineering with irrigation management to reduce the presence and accumulation of cecs in crops irrigated with recycled water.from a water treatment perspective, the team will design and develop a mobile treatment system that can be used directly on farms to treat recycled water before irrigation. This system uses a light-based process to break down contaminants, making recycled water safer for agricultural use. From an irrigation management perspective, greenhouse studies will evaluate how adjusting irrigation practices based on crop growth stages can further reduce the movement of contaminants into the edible portions of plants. The most promising treatment and management strategies will be tested in field-scale irrigation demonstrations to evaluate their real-world performance and practicality. Together, these efforts aim to transform recycled water from a potential source of concern into a safe, sustainable water supply that can help supplement limited freshwater resources. The project team will actively share results with growers, water managers, and other stakeholders through events at the south coast research and extension center in irvine. Extension publications and online resources will present the findings in clear, non-technical language to support adoption of these practices. By integrating research and outreach, this project will help strengthen agricultural resilience, protect food safety, and promote sustainable water use in california and beyond.