Irrigation systems entail interacting processes that should be considered when analyzing the performances of irrigated areas. When analyzing the cause of performance gaps, one may consider the effect of one factor without taking into account the effect of other influential ones. This study addresses the performance of irrigated areas using a global approach. The analysis includes different factors of the production process and examines the relationship between irrigation and the economic performances of farmers’ irrigated fields. Results showed that technical efficiency (TE), considered as our economic indicator, evaluating the degree to which the inputs are used efficiently, was about 0.85 for fruit orchards, tomato, wheat and 0.66 for olive trees. The on-farm water distribution efficiency (Efarm) that evaluates water lost during its transport to plots was poor and can decrease to 36%. A great potential for improving water management exists. Efarm was not a significant factor for TE. So, Efarm causing substantial water waste has no significant impact on economic performance, the main concern of the farmer. However the easy access to water was a significant factor for TE (p-value < 0.032 in all the cases). The easy access to water is a possible lever for improvement. We pointed out that irrigation performance in the studied area has no significant impact on economic performance. There is a divergence between the farmer’s interest (the economic efficiency) and the community’s objective to save water through better irrigation performance. Government efforts to provide incentives for farmers for better water management seem to have born no fruit. This study argues for the use of a bechmarking in building global representation adapted to the actual local context. The analysis approch suggests that more attention should be paid to the “water saving program” of Tunisia, by subsidising irrigation investments in a better way and focusing on subsidies that create the most of economic growth.
This study was developed to improve the qualitative and quantitative performance of milk production of dairy cows. The aim of this work is to evaluate the impact of feeding Kit N°10 based on alfalfa pellets and long ryegrass fibre produced by "La Romana Farine srl" on the milk yield and milk composition in dairy cows. Kit N°10 was administered thrice daily to six multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows assigned to two treatments including control and staple feed Kit N°10. Feeding the Kit N°10 as basic ration improved animal performance by increasing significantly (p<0.05) the daily milk production (52.31%), the protein content (6.17%) and the lactose content (6.35%). Obtained results suggest that using Kit N°10 could be a valuable cost-effective alternative to improve and balance the protein and energy intake of animals. Further, an economic analysis was carried out to calculate the costs of milk production, gross production value gross margin, absolute profit, and relative profit of dairy cattle farms. A single product budget analysis method was used for calculating production costs. The analysis shows that the cost of feeding without Kit N° 10 was unprofitable; with a loss of 932 TND/Dairy Cow. However, the milk production cost of feeding with Kit N° 10 generates a positive result of around 2434 TND/Dairy Cow. The results showed some evidence to prove a specific effect of Kit N°10 on economic profitability and on animal performance.
Un jeu de simulation pour préparer une gouvernance de l'eau : une expérience en Tunisie centrale Résumé Jusqu'aux années 2000 en Tunisie, les services de l'État géraient les ressources en eau sans aucune concertation avec les usagers. Localement, cette gestion était confiée aux commissariats régionaux de développement agricole (CRDA). Depuis, l'État tunisien a décidé d'impliquer les agriculteurs dans cette gestion locale. Il encourage le regroupement des agriculteurs au sein de groupements de développement agricole (GDA), interlocuteurs des CRDA pour la gestion de l'eau. Avec ce dispositif, le CRDA doit prendre en compte les demandes des agriculteurs, regroupés dans le GDA, et en retour, ces derniers doivent prendre conscience que la ressource est partagée et qu'il est dangereux de la surexploiter. Comment GDA et CRDA peuvent-ils construire cette gestion concertée ? Dans cet article, nous présentons un jeu de simulation, construit à la demande d'agents du CRDA de Kairouan pour réfléchir à une gestion concertée de la ressource en eau dans un petit bassin-versant typique de Tunisie centrale. Notre objectif était d'utiliser ce jeu pour sensibiliser, d'un côté, les agriculteurs au nécessaire partage de la ressource, notamment en période de pénurie, et aux risques engendrés par sa surexploitation, et, d'un autre côté, les agents du CRDA aux déterminants des usages de l'eau à l'origine des demandes. Ce jeu repose sur une représentation du fonctionnement hydrologique du bassin et des diverses exploitations agricoles qui exploitent la ressource en eau avec plusieurs modalités d'accès. Une séance de simulation a été organisée avec les agriculteurs du GDA concerné, mais sans les agents du CRDA, car de fortes tensions les opposaient. Cet échec partiel conforte la nécessité, dans les approches participatives fondées sur les jeux, d'entretenir la motivation des acteurs tout au long du processus. AbstractA simulation game to prepare water governance: An experiment in Central TunisiaUntil the 2000s, water resources in Tunisia were managed solely by official services without consulting water users. At the local scale, Commissariats Régionaux de Développement Agricole (CRDA), representing the official services, managed water resources. Then, the Tunisian government decided to involve farmers in the local management of water resources by creating the Agricultural Development Association (GDA). At present, water resource management by the CRDA must take into account water demands from GDA farmer representatives, and farmers must become aware of water scarcity and resource sharing. How can the CRDA and GDA envisage cooperative water management? In this paper we present a simulation game requested by Kairouan CRDA agents for building cooperative management of the water resources in a typical small watershed of Central Tunisia. Our aim was to use this game to increase farmers' awareness of resource sharing, scarcity and overexploitation impacts, as well as CRDA agents' awareness of uses that determine the water demand. This game is ba...
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