Investing in water resources development, preserving the olive sector as a strategic sector and securing a threshold of agricultural production to achieve food security, these are the economic choices recommended by a research by the Arab Institute of Business Managers (IACE), released Friday in Tunis, on the 7th Tunisia Economic Forum.
Entitled “Water Stress: Economic Choices and Food Security,” the research presented by academics Mokhtar Kouki and Raoudha Gafrej underlined the importance of investing in the agricultural sector and protecting Tunisia’s flagship productions.
Investing in seawater desalination and the exploitation of part of the desalinated water in the irrigation of olive groves and grain crops will generate an added value five times more than the cost invested, the research added. For instance, an investment of 3 dinars in the development of one m3 of water to irrigate durum wheat will generate an economic value of 15 dinars/m3.
Speaking about the impact of water stress on food security, expert in water resources management Raoudha Gafrej emphasised the importance for a country like Tunisia which imports 50% of its durum wheat needs, to reduce the food waste at all levels, from field to plate. Although it is able to ensure a production of durum wheat to meet demand on the local market, Tunisia continues to import a large quantity of this commodity, used for the manufacture of pasta, semolina and other basic food products.
Gafrej warned of the waste of bread in Tunisia, estimated at 900,000 units (loaves) per day, the equivalent of 113,000 tonnes per year. In terms of money, these losses are estimated at TND 100 million per year and their water footprint (virtual water) is estimated at 170 to 180 Mm3.
The expert, therefore, recommends securing rain-fed agriculture due to the situation of climate change, namely drought. She said Tunisia cannot achieve its food security in the coming years by relying only on rainfall to irrigate dry crops. “We must opt for other alternatives, including the irrigation of crops with non-conventional water, and achieve added value from irrigated agriculture, which is currently only 1/3 against 2/3 for rainfed agriculture,” she said.
She also recommended securing the olive and almond capital and improving their output through the use of technological innovation and precision agriculture, agriculture based on management techniques which take into account the temporal and spatial variability to optimize and sustain agricultural production.
According to the IACE research, the significant improvement and stabilisation of olive tree yields will make it possible to increase the average regional production from 600 kg/ha in the Center and 500 kg/ha in the South to one tonne/ ha/year.
Tunisia is facing a critical situation regarding the availability of renewable water resources due to droughts. With a share of 355 m3 per inhabitant/per year, the country is below the absolute water shortage threshold, estimated in the IACE survey at 500m3/per inhabitant/year.
The research also reports difficulties in meeting the water needs of the various sectors, faced with falling production and a strong international dependence, particularly with regard to common wheat and barley which threatens the capital of rain-fed agriculture.
, released Friday in Tunis, on the 7th Tunisia Economic Forum.){kind=link}