Topic

Date

Results

Water Accounting (WA)

Crop Mapping and use of WaPOR database

2019

A detailed land use and crop map using remote sensing was prepared for Jendouba and Kairouan sites for one cropping season, with the aim of assessing better crop water consumption. WaPOR is a FAO database on water productivity using remote sensing.

2018

Training on mapping by remote sensing was implemented to 14 engineers from the Ministry of Agriculture, where three of them were trained as trainers for the realization of crop maps using remote sensing and the use of the FAO WaPOR database.

2019

Training on the use of WaPOR was provided to 10 engineers from the Ministry of Agriculture.

ET measurement

2019 - 2020

Installation of an ET Network was carried out in the INGC research station in Jendouba site. Three engineers from the ministry and supervising organizations are responsible for the measurement of evapotranspiration and calibration of the ET Cordova station.

2019

Two Tunisian experts were trained on the fabrication and installation of the ET Cordova station.

Piloting WA

2019 – 2020

A case study on Rapid Water Accounting (RWA) was realized on the Bouhertma watershed in Jendouba governorate to analyze the realities of water consumption and the feasibility of real water savings from irrigation modernization (report under development).

Another case study on RWA in Kairouan will start in 2020.

Institutionalizing WA

2019

A national multidisciplinary team on WA was set up and an attempt to institutionalize the concept started with a large pilot on the Medjerda basin.

Training on Water Accounting and auditing

2019

Two national experts were trained to become analysts on advanced water accounting and auditing in a regional training implemented by FAO with IHE-Delft and IWMI-MENA.

2020

Twenty national and sub-national experts were trained on the WA assessment process covering the RWA and different WA frameworks. A series of trainings were implemented at local level and through virtual webinars.

Water Productivity (WP)

WP assessment

2018

Six experts were trained on the concepts and methodologies of WP.

2019

The national WP baseline was realized and shared with national partners

2019

Fifteen Tunisian experts share their WP experience at the regional water productivity conference and have successfully joined the WP community of practice.

WP at field site: Farmer experimentation

2019 - 2020

Six Farmers Field Schools (FFS) for olive growing have been set up, each reaching 15 farmers on average in the Kairouan and Jendouba governorates with the support of the CRDAs. Schools discuss good agricultural and irrigation practices for olive tree production. The Olive Institute is a strategic partner in this activity.

2020

A Training of Trainers on FFS methodology was carried out by FAO and CRDA facilitators from different regions of the country and a refresher course on olive production was implemented. Sixteen extension workers were trained on the FFS approach and on good agricultural practices in olive growing in two strategic governorates in terms of production

2020 - 2021

INGC, the National Olive Institute, and the regional studies center on oases agriculture implemented a field level WP assessment with a detailed farmer survey on practices versus water with a specific focus on cereal, olive production and palm trees.

Stakeholder engagement

Building a community of practice

Two national multidisciplinary teams on WP and WA have been established bringing together stakeholders at national and sub-national levels.

Youth engagement

Three students’ startups have been supervised and financed to produce prototypes of new technologies aimed at improving WP.

Seven students implemented their master’s thesis in Kairouan study site around the use of remote sensing for land use, crop maps, ET estimation and WP.

Two master’s degrees on WP will be established in partnership with IRESA. The master’s degrees will be co-entitled by INAT and ESIM.