September 2020 Nesletter, came with a lot of news.

An FAO project with a women’s clam association in Tunisia’s Gulf of Gabes helped the clam harvesters to earn more for their labour, while also incorporating sustainable practices.

Baobab fruit juice made from the pulp is very healthy, and can be added to porridge and sauces. However, the quality of the pulp can be greatly affected if fruits are not handled well during and after harvest. When baobab pods are damaged and have splits in the shell, moisture...

300 kilometers south of Tunis, in the Gulf of Gabes, women have long harvested clams to generate an income. The seasonal work is often labor intensive and poorly paid. That is why FAO, in collaboration with the Tunisian government and a local women’s association, have created a pilot project to...

The World Rural Forum (WRF), with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), carried out a study to monitor the progress in the implementation of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028 (UNDFF) through National and Regional / Subregional Action Plans on Family...

Runoff collection has been used to plant olive orchards in north-west Syria in areas, which are considered too dry for olives. In one trial, trees were planted 8 m apart, within and between rows. Around individual trees ‘fish-bone’ shaped furrows were dug to harvest runoff water. The furrows were constructed...

The following technology describes the development of a special no-till drill with the purpose of simultaneously planting seeds and fertilizing annual crops. Information is given on how to drill cuts, how to plant seeds, correctly apply herbicides and tillage replacement. The advantages of using such a technology, which include low...

La vicepresidenta del Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA), Marie Haga, destaca el valor de los “bienes comunes” como las semillas e invita a los países a cooperar más en un mundo tan interdependiente como el actual.

Family Farming (which includes all family-based agricultural activities) is a means of organizing agricultural, forestry, fisheries, pastoral and aquaculture production which is managed and operated by a family and predominantly reliant on family labour, including both women’s and men’s. The family and the farm are linked, co-evolve and combine economic,...

The Near East and North Africa (NENA) countries are known for high levels of overweight and obesity. These patterns are observed for both children and adults.Despite some variations across countries, on average 60 to 70 percent of adults in the NENA region are overweight, with obesity rates amounting to about...

Water use has been growing globally at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century, and an increasing number of regions are reaching the limit at which water services can be sustainably delivered. By 2025, 1 800 million people are expected to be living in countries or...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) launched  pioneering project to provide capacity building and technical support for the Integrated Agri-Aquaculture (IAA) farming systems in Jordan.In line with a technical cooperation agreement signed between the two parties in early January, FAO...

We do not often express our gratitude for the food we eat to the people who actually produce it, and who make sure that it reaches us. Throughout the years of crisis from 2011, Syria lost its human capital, infrastructure and the resources that farmers relied upon. Despite this, many...

Under the framework of the regional project “Implementing the 2030 Agenda for water efficiency/productivity and water sustainability in NENA countries”, one of the key activities is implementing different Farmer Field Schools (FFS) in the eight studied countries. Palestine one of the countries under the project, suffers from a shortage in...

This Market brief series is based on a study commissioned by IFOAM – Organics International in 2020 in order to better understand possible interventions that can promote market development and trade of organic produce in Africa. The Tunisia Market brief is part of a series with 12 specific Market briefs. They...

Food waste is a critical issue in any household. The main objective of this guide is to support households in understanding what is needed to be done in order to reduce food waste at home. This is seen through proper storage methods for each food category, how to reuse leftovers...

When 27-year old Neeraj Kumar heard about the Access Agriculture “Young Entrepreneur Challenge Fund 2019” announcement, he was excited to learn that winners would receive a Digisoft portable smart projector. Neeraj is co-founder of Khetee, an NGO based in Durdih village in Bihar, a state in eastern India. What impressed him most...

Countries of the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region face numerous common challenges to achieving improved food security, nutrition and inclusive agricultural development. Recent conflicts and civil instability in some countries of the region, as well as rapid population growth, low growth in agricultural productivity, scarce and fragile natural...

The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) is a unique applied agricultural research center in the world with a focus on marginal areas where an estimated 1.7 billion people live. It identifies, tests and introduces resource‐efficient, climate‐smart crops and technologies that are best suited to different regions affected by salinity,...

With 3 165 kilometres of coastline, it is hardly surprising that fish markets are an important, daily part of local life in Oman. The Sultanate of Oman is one of the largest fish producers in the Gulf region with a total capture production of 554 000 tonnes in 2018, and...