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In Qatar, environmental strategies are designed
to promote sustainability and ensure a balanced meeting of the needs of present and future generations.
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Using water TSE for agricultural purposes
presents a sustainable solution that lessens the dependency on fresh groundwater sources.
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Raising awareness and educating the community are vital
for maximizing the benefits of utilizing TSE.
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The College of Education at Qatar University has undertaken the vital mission of achieving regional sustainability
through The "Raising Awareness: Qatar's Use of Treated Sludge Effluent (TSE) for Agriculture" project.
What is the "Raising Awareness: Qatar's Use of Treated Sludge Effluent (TSE) for Agriculture" project about?
The "Raising Awareness: Qatar's Use of Treated Sludge Effluent (TSE) for Agriculture" project complements scientific research initiatives by emphasizing the sustainability of environmental resources. The project aims to educate and raise awareness among various segments of the Qatari community regarding the qualities of TSE, including its safety for use in agriculture and its superior quality over local groundwater. It also highlights the importance of implementing scientifically proven methods to safeguard the environment for future generations. This project, conducted by the College of Education at Qatar University, involves a team of distinguished academics, researchers, and exceptional students from education and scientific colleges who act as knowledge ambassadors in community awareness efforts.
The Significance of the Project
This project aims to offer practical solutions to a significant challenge: “ensure Qatar’s self-sufficiency in strategic commodities and shift production towards best practice technologies to drive yield improvement.” It also contributes to achieving Pillar C of Qatar's National Food Security Strategy, which aims to “put in place adequate but...
The project's target groups
The project "Raising Awareness: Qatar's Use of Treated Sludge Effluent (TSE) for Agriculture" aims to collaborate with different community categories. These include:
Consumers in the Qatari community
such as parents, teachers, and students.
Qatari producers
such as farmers, farm owners, managers, consultants, and decision-makers in the food supply chain.
Project Stages
Exploration
Exploration
The project will begin by examining stakeholders' understanding of the use of Treated Sludge Effluent (TSE) in agriculture and the sources of information they rely on to shape their beliefs. This will be accomplished using various questionnaires. Additionally, the project will research and evaluate how these topics are taught in science curricula in Qatar, emphasizing existing educational policies. Furthermore, it will leverage the education sector, specifically STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields, as a primary vehicle for a structured approach to addressing water-related issues.
Analysis and Development
Analysis and Development
Based on the analysis of the questionnaires from the exploration phase, schools will be selected for further study. Within each school, a purposive sample of stakeholders—students and their parents, teachers, head teachers, etc.—will be chosen, including cases with positive and negative attitudes towards TSE and varying levels of knowledge about TSE. These students will participate in focus groups and individual interviews. The full complement of STEM teachers at each school (where possible) and other key staff involved in deciding on the science curriculum, such as head teachers, will also be interviewed.
The project team will analyze the data and case studies to develop guiding principles for instructional methodologies, curriculum materials, and teacher training workshops. Based on the findings of the case studies, the completed literature review, and documentary analysis of science education curricula in relation to water education and agriculture, the project will move into the next phase: developing guidelines for pedagogical strategies, curriculum materials, and teachers’ training workshops with water professionals and parents. These efforts aim to challenge stakeholders’ awareness, attitudes, knowledge, and acceptance of TSE reuse in agriculture.
Implementation and Evaluation
Implementation and Evaluation
Using a design-based methodology with combined quantitative and qualitative methods, the project will run two experiments to test and refine the developed guidelines, including pedagogy, curriculum materials, teacher training approaches, and workshops with parents and water professionals. This will involve working with classes and samples from the selected schools. The interventions are expected to be varied, potentially taking the form of an internet-supported structured space for dialogue and exchange, including lab work, field trips, work-related activities, visits to TSE industry sites/technology facilities, and museum visits.
