Tunisia Country Presentation by Dr. Ouji Ali at the International Conference on Pulses in Marrakesh, Morocco, 18-20 April 2016

1. 1
Dr. OUJI Ali
Project Title"Enhanced small-holder wheat-legume cropping systems to improve food
security under changing climate in the drylands of west Asia and North Africa"
Country – Successes, Lessons Learnt & Challenges Ahead
PRRDANOSA
Field Crops Laboratory- INRAT - Tunisia

2. 2
Major Focus Areas of Project Activities in Tunisia
* Jendouba Governorate: (Fernana/Baldyia/Boussalem/Balta)
North-West (close to the border with Algeria).
Humid region: annual rainfall 600-700 mm.
Soil: Fertile (black clay).
Cropping system: Wheat/F. Legumes/Vegetable
Farmers: mostly small holders
Main constraints: foliar diseases, weed control, …
*Béja Governorate: (Amdoun / Hamrounia)
North-west of Tunisia.
Humid region: annual rainfall around 600 mm.
Soil: generally fertile (vertisol)
Cropping system: wheat/food legume or sunflower
Farmers: small holders
Main constraints: foliar diseases,
Orobanche infestation on faba bean and sunflower
and septoria leaf blotch on wheat.
*Kef Governorate (Neber)
North-West of Tunisia.
Semi arid: 400-450 mm
Soil: fertile
Cropping system: wheat /fallow
Farmers: Mostly small holders

3. 3
Varieties Released
• Faba bean: 1 variety registered (Chourouk) and 1
variety proposed for registration (Chams)
• Chickpea : 2 varieties registered (Nour and Rebha)
• Lentil: 2 varieties registered (Boulifa and Ebba)
• Durum wheat: 2 varieties proposed for registration
(INRAT 100 and Dhahbi)
• Bread wheat: 2 varieties proposed for registration
(Neapolis and Bellarugia)
Project Outputs
Chourouk
Badï
Chams Badï

4. 4
Technologies Produced
* Adopted Methodology for Technology Transfer and Variety
Dissemination : Leader farmer and Satellite farmers (10-15)
Project Outputs
* Variety Popularisation : concerned mainly Chickpea, Faba Bean
and Durum Wheat

5. 5
Fungal Disease Surveillance and Control
* IPM package
Project Outputs

6. 6
* Supplemental irrigation
Project Outputs

7. 7
Participatory Variety Selection
* Participatory varietal selection (PVS) : Improved advanced lines of durum wheat, chickpea and lentil
were implemented
Project Outputs

8. 8
Seed Produced
* The project supported food legume and wheat
breeding programs for early generation seed increase
and variety maintenance particularly those recently
registered (Morneg, Kef, Beja, Oued Mliz, El Gantra)
*The project provided INGC/SMSA El Falah Boussalem
(Basic Company mutual of Agriculture Services) with
seed cleaning and conditioning unit
Project Outputs

9. Type of the activity Number Number of
Participants
Field Days 24
(Disease diagnostics and control, seeding,
Weed control, Fertilisation, Irrigation,
Crop management, harvesting, seed
production ...)
550
In-country courses 5 134
Farm Field School 3 15-23 in each
group
In country Travelling
Workshop with
Stakeholders
1 65
Capacity Development of Farmers and Extension Staff
(2013-2014-2015)

10. Capacity Development of Research and Support Staff
Regional Courses (2013-2014-2015)
Courses Number of Participants
Food legume breeding 4
Classical and Molecular approaches in Wheat 3
Seed Production 3
Supplemental Irrigation 2
GIS 5
Innovation Platforms; On-farm Trials – Design
and Analysis
2
IPM for legume and wheat 2
Total 21

11. In-Country Courses
Course Title
1- Farm Field School Facilitation
2- Uses of molecular tools in cereal and food legume breeding
3- Supplemental irrigation
4- Seed production and variety maintenance
5- Diagnosis and management of wheat and food legume diseases

12. 12
Total number of small farmers in the project area
Amdoun (Beja Governorate) 2 300
Nebeur (Kef Governorate) 2 000
Baldia (Jendouba Governorate) 310
Hamrounia (Beja Governorate) 400
Total 5010
Project Outcomes

13. 13
* Project site : Amdoun (Beja):
2010-2011 2013-2014 Variation %
Durum wheat 2.80 3.20 +14
Faba been 1.50 2.00 +33
Chickpea
(Amdoun)
(Beja governorate )
1.20
1.26
1.80
1.54
+50
+22
Regional statistics 2015
Evolution of Yields (t/ha)
The increase of Faba bean area is coupled with the increase of livestock in Amdoun (86000 beef and
sheep heads in 2013/2014 against 78000 in 2013/2014).

14. 14
*Project site : Hamrounia (Beja)
2010-2011 2013-2014 Variation %
Durum wheat 2.30 2.40 +4
Faba been 1.50 1.80 +20
Chickpea 1.00 1.20 +20
Evolution of Yields (t/ha)

15. 15
Project site : Nebeur (Kef)
2012-2013 2013-2014 Variation %
Durum wheat 1.40 2.20 +57
Faba been 0.90 1.00 +11
Chickpea 1.00 1.20 +20
Evolution of Yields (t/ha)

16. Income increase
The project proposed package had a significant effect on income and on loss to win of
income of Béjà1and Neyer.
Béjà 1
The loss to win was of 505 US $/ha for Béjà 1 The loss to win was of 472 US $/ha for Neyer
Neyer

17. New enterprise
The project contributes to the development of a Basic Company mutual of
Agriculture Services (CMSA at Bousalem)

18. EU-IFAD project allowed to introduce and consolidate the presence
of food legume crop with improved varieties with recommended
package in some regions particularly in Kef governorate
The seed unit that was purchased in 2014 serve project farmers and
their neighboring for cleaning and treatment of self produced of
improved wheat and food legume varieties.
The project consolidate the relationships between farmers, technical
agents, researchers and economic operators
Outstanding Project Result

19. 19
Project Upscaling and Outscaling
• The successful case of seed processing for farmer’s community at
Boussalem will be generalized progressively for other communities to
enhance the use of better seed quality and develop the utilization of
improved varieties recommended by the research system
• Other communities claims to be involved in the project to access to the
technologies disseminated

20. Lessons learnt from shortfalls
* The short period of the Project is not enough to see its impact
* Implication of woman and young is quite low
Lessons learnt from successes
The participative approach appreciated and showed its efficiency for
dissemination of improved varieties and technologies
Lessons Learnt from the Project

21. 21
Policy, Regulations & Market Constraints
• Ministry of Agriculture ordered a study for the development of food and
forage legumes in Tunisia (enhanced in 2015 and will be finished in 2016)
• Minister of Agriculture declares in April 13, 2016 that he will wait the
recommendation of the study to take measures to develop food and
forage legumes (support the seed production, collect the production, …)

22. THANK YOU