Treated Wastewater Reuse for Agriculture Market Size & Share 2026-2035

Treated Wastewater Reuse for Agriculture Market Size

The global treated wastewater reuse for agriculture market was valued at USD 8.9 billion in 2025. The market is expected to grow from USD 9.7 billion in 2026 to USD 19.6 billion by 2035, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1% between 2026 and 2035, according to the latest report published by Global Market Insights Inc.

• Expanded water-scarce agricultural water reuse projects constitute a structural inflection point: recurring aquifer drawdowns and drought periods in the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Western America have created an impetus within governments to institutionalize treated wastewater reuse into a statutory feature of national agricultural water management, drawing lessons from Israel’s Shafdan facility and Spain’s Murcia irrigation system as successful operational precedents.
• Implementation of advanced water treatment techniques and water quality sensors is solving the confidence issue that has existed between water quality and its users: through the utilization of membrane bioreactor (MBR), ultraviolet radiation treatments, and internet of things sensor arrays, utilities are able to achieve Class A+ re-use water requirements while decreasing response times to pathogens from days to hours.
• Government regulations and financial incentives for circular water management are creating new opportunities for private-sector investments: the use of instruments such as subsidies for connection fees, grants to invest in tertiary treatment facilities, and mandatory reuse targets in national water plans are reducing project risks and enabling new investment flows to agricultural reuse projects.

Treated Wastewater Reuse for Agriculture Market Trends

The treated wastewater reuse for agriculture industry is undergoing considerable change owing to the influence of regulations, technology, and the exhaustion of traditional water resources. These changes include movement from the mere secondary reuse of wastewater to legal recognition and implementation of the Class A and A+ reuse systems, which allow for food crop irrigation, subject to pathogens and risks management requirements. This is evident in areas implementing efficient reclaimed water infrastructure to provide high value crops, thus ensuring sustainability both technically and financially.

Further, innovations in membrane bioreactors coupled with advanced disinfection are gaining acceptance due to the advantages of space savings and compliance with the tertiary criteria in urban areas in particular. Water quality monitoring using IoT provides verification data for farmers, thus resolving issues related to safety.

Moreover, integrated water resource recovery facilities are turning treatment facilities into multi-revenue sources producing not only reclaimed water but biogas and nutrient products as well. Additionally, the growth of greenhouse production as an expensive application is contributing to the incentives for quality reuse because of mineralized water needs in climatically unstable regions.

Treated Wastewater Reuse for Agriculture Market Analysis

Based on treatment technology, the market is segmented into secondary-treated wastewater reuse, tertiary-treated wastewater reuse, and advanced-treated wastewater reuse. Secondary-treated wastewater reuse held the largest market share of 53.0% in 2025.

• Secondary treated water reuse is prevalent since there is plenty of infrastructure in the municipal utilities within regions such as Asia Pacific, Latin America, and parts of MENA. The application of the technology is predominantly for purposes of reusing water for non-food crops, fodder, and restricted agricultural uses. Growth is slow in the area as there are regulations limiting the kinds of crops to be grown using water in the secondary level.
• Advanced treated wastewater reuse comprises of the largest market size owing to stringent standards and permission for cultivation of more number of crops using the water. In Europe, North America, and Australia, advancements in tertiary treatment technologies are being made because of regulations. Reverse osmosis and ultraviolet disinfection technologies are some common upgrading technologies.
• The most rapidly growing market is of advanced treated wastewater reuse since the frameworks allowing reuse of water in direct food crops and greenhouse fertigation have emerged.

• Urban and municipal effluents represent major reuse sources with their significant and reliable flow rates from centralized treatment facilities. Economies of scale along with simpler design of the process are enabled by the constant nature of municipal effluents' composition, thus representing the core of reuse infrastructures all over the world.
• The drainage effluents from irrigated land, with increasing popularity, are being used in Egypt, Pakistan, and California for the purpose of implementing water closed-loop systems. The industrial effluent reuse becomes increasingly popular in connection with zero liquid discharge initiatives and nutrient content of industrial effluents with high-efficiency treatments.
• The greywater, showing the highest rate of increase, includes household and commercial effluents that are collected and treated locally for peri-urban irrigation.

The treated wastewater reuse for agriculture market by agricultural application is segmented into non-food crop irrigation, livestock & fodder crop irrigation, food crop irrigation-processed & cooked, greenhouse & nursery cultivation, food crop irrigation-raw consumption, and aquaculture.

• The non-food crop irrigation is the leading application due to the adoption of secondary quality of reclaimed water for crops producing fibers, biofuels, ornamental plants, and turf in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, where there are extensive irrigated areas and less contact with the products. The livestock and fodder crop irrigation is the third leading application owing to the rising animal protein requirement and broad acceptance of treated water for irrigation of fodder crops, such as alfalfa and maize silage.
• Food crop irrigation of processed and cooked foods is rapidly growing with the improvements in tertiary treatment reducing the risk of pathogens, which allows the use of Class B and Class C water standards. Greenhouses and nurseries take advantage of the stability of treated wastewater, especially in arid regions. The raw food crop irrigation is growing at the most rapid pace as more regulations permit reuse of water for leafy vegetables, strawberries, and herbs.

North America accounts for 13.7% of the treated wastewater reuse for agriculture market in 2025.

• North America wastewater reuse initiatives in North America are spearheaded by the United States, particularly by California owing to changes in its Title 22 regulations towards the end of 2024, making direct irrigation of food crops with tertiary reclaimed water possible, thus opening up tremendous possibilities in Central Valley and Southern California. Besides, other states such as Arizona and Texas play their part through programs supplying over 200 million gallons per day for agricultural and industrial uses. Canada is developing provincial standards in British Columbia and Ontario that comply with the American standards, with binding regulations expected to come into effect in 2027.

The regional market of Europe accounts for 15.8% of the market with  USD 1.4 billion in 2025, at a 9.8% CAGR.

• Europe is rapidly changing thanks to the mandatory application of EU Regulation 2020/741 across member countries. A great upgrade cycle takes place in Southern Europe, particularly in Spain with over 1,700 reclamation facilities supplying around 500 million cubic meters of reclaimed water per year. An example of large-scale reuse is provided by the project named REUDA from Murcia where reclaimed water is supplied to citrus and vegetables farms through extensive pipeline networks. Another country where developments take place is Italy where municipalities update their treatment standards to be consistent with the EU quality classes.

The Asia-Pacific region is responsible for 41.6% of the market in 2025.

• Both China and India play a crucial role in the regional market, having implemented reuse projects on a massive scale under different policies. The Gaobeidian wastewater treatment facility in Beijing, which has a capacity of 1 million cubic meters per day, serves as an example of water reuse for irrigation and industry in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area. On the other hand, India has adopted the AMRUT 2.0 policy, which requires wastewater reuse in municipalities such as Nagpur, Ahmedabad, and Chennai. Yet, there is a need for improvement as treatment facilities have been growing at a rate faster than infrastructure development and farmer involvement.

Between 2026 and 2035, a promising expansion of the treated wastewater reuse for agriculture market is foreseen in the Latin America.

• The reuse programs have been enhanced in Brazil and Mexico. PNRH in Brazil features the new rules regarding the reuse of water so that almost universal sewage treatment is ensured by 2033. Mexico has started to replace the unauthorized and untamed irrigation by implementing reuse systems, which are facilitated by updated laws. In Chile, national policy on reuse, aligned with European Union's norms, will be developed with the use of pilot programs in various regions, such as Atacama and Coquimbo.

Between 2026 and 2035, the market for treated wastewater reuse for agriculture in the Middle East is projected to grow significantly during this period.

• The Middle Eastern countries suffering from water scarcity are pursuing high reuse objectives. The Saudi government forces people to use treated water for fodder, landscaping, and restricted irrigation of vegetables within municipalities. Jordan's As-Samra plant, which can treat more than half a million cubic meters per day, provides most of agricultural water. In addition, Morocco strives to increase its level of reuse to 60% by 2030, following the basin-specific master plan.

Treated Wastewater Reuse for Agriculture Market Share

The market is moderately consolidated with players like Veolia Environment S.A., SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions, Xylem Inc., VA Tech Wabag and Metito Group which accounts for 45.3% market share in 2025.

The market consists of such leading companies operating mostly in their regional areas. Their long years of experience with treated wastewater reuse for agriculture have allowed these companies to maintain a strong market position worldwide. Their product offerings are diverse and majorly supported by production capacities and distribution networks, which can serve the increasing demand for treated wastewater reuse for agriculture in various regions.