Abstract
Reusing wastewater in agriculture has attracted increasing attention as a strategy to support the transition towards the circular economy in the water and agriculture sector. As a consequence, there is great interest in solutions for governing the transactions and interdependences between the associated value chains. This paper explores the institutions and governance structures for coordinating transactions and interdependences between actors in linked value chains of wastewater treatment and crop production. It aims to analyze how transactions and interdependences shape the governance structures for reusing wastewater at the local level. A transaction costs analysis based on data from semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire is applied to the agricultural wastewater reuse scheme of the Wastewater Association Braunschweig (Germany). The results show that different governance structures are needed to match with the different properties and requirements of the transactions and activities between linked value chains of wastewater treatment and crop production. Interdependences resulting from transactions between wastewater providers and farmers increase the need for hybrid and hierarchical elements in the governance structures for wastewater reuse. The authors conclude that aligning governance structures with transactions and interdependences is key to efficiently governing transactions and interdependences between linked value chains in a circular economy.
Highlights
Increasing waste production and the scarcity of natural resources are expected to aggravate with growing populations and consumption
The theoretical assumption in transaction cost economics is that governance structures are chosen to fit the specific properties of transactions and to minimize transaction costs [38,77,81]
Interdependences between actors—like in the case of the association and the farmers engaging in wastewater reuse—are believed to shape the nature and features of governance structures [81]
Summary
Increasing waste production and the scarcity of natural resources are expected to aggravate with growing populations and consumption. For this reason, solutions for reducing waste and recycling and reusing materials are gaining importance. Solutions for reducing waste and recycling and reusing materials are gaining importance In this context, the concept of the circular economy has attracted increasing attention from policy, science, business, and civil society. The European Commission has addressed these issues by presenting an action plan including legislative proposals on EU waste policy, areas for actions, and specific measures to promote the implementation of the circular economy [2]. One of the areas for action proposed in the plan is the promotion of reusing treated wastewater in agriculture
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
