Actors, Scales and Spaces Dynamics Linked to Groundwater Resources use for Agriculture Production in Haouaria Plain, Tunisia. A Territory Game Approach

Abstract

Groundwater resources became a recognized enabler of important rural and socio-economic development in Mediterranean countries. However, the development of this groundwater economy is currently associated with an increased pressure on the available resource and negative implications on the socio-ecological system. Managing complex socio-ecological systems, such as those that occur in water resource management, is a multi-actor, multi-scale and dynamic decision-making process. This study aims to build a collective learning and collaborative construction tool through the territory game method. It was implemented in the Haouaria Plain, in Northern Tunisia, where farmers are currently dependent upon groundwater use for their livelihood and food security. After the diagnosis of the territorial issues, the drivers of change and a common spatial representation of the future trend of the territory, we dive into the dimensions that hinder or facilitate the implementation of scenarios and the pathways of actions. Thereafter, we analyzed these dimensions together again and reflect on the interactions among actors at different levels to transform the local territory. From the perspective of evolution scenarios for the Haouaria plain, the participants indicated the conditions that hinder or facilitate their implementation and they proposed twenty-three possible actions to be carried out in order to achieve the desired trends. They indicated how these propositions can be achieved, by whom, and where. The local stakeholders coordinate actors, activities and spaces on their territory. Spaces such as El Garâa basin, littoral forest or food processing companies are at stake to develop an integrated response to territorial issues.

Trade-Off between Land Use Pattern and Technical Efficiency Performance: Evidence from Arable Crop Farming in Tunisia

“…This could be attributed to many factors, including scarcity of skilled workforce and advanced technologies, indebtedness of farmers, shortage of fertilizer supply during critical COP growing seasons, limited training operations and extension services, and low adoption rates of improved varieties. In addition, the farmland fragmentation due to family heritage is another key issue that reduces the effectiveness of machinery usage given the predominance of small size farms with irregular shapes [6][7][8][9]. The COP sector largely depends on climatic conditions, since most farms strongly rely on rain-fed production systems and the irrigated land represents only less than 5% of the total cultivated area [2].…”

La filière tomate de transformation à Haouaria en Tunisie : prédominance de la forme industrielle déterritorialisée

“…En 2018, celle-ci a atteint 114 % du potentiel renouvelable des nappes phréatiques et 120 % de celui des nappes profondes de ce bassin (CGDR, 2019). La culture de la tomate a ainsi été impactée par la forte exploitation des ressources en eau et la baisse conséquente de leurs disponibilités (Ferchichi et al, 2020). L'État a alors instauré durant les campagnes 2010-2013 une subvention de 300 TND/ha (1 euro = 2,29 dinars tunisiens fin 2013) pour encourager la baisse des superficies cultivées en tomates de transformation et la reconversion vers d'autres cultures moins consommatrices en eau.…”