NENA REGIONAL STAKEHOLDERS WORKSHOP

on

Operationalizing the Regional Collaborative Platform to address water consumption, water productivity and drought management in

Agriculture

Session II: Crop Water Productivity

Case Study Tunisia,

Nabil Sghaier

October 27-29, 2015, Cairo Egypt

Major agricultural systems in Tunisia

• Rainfed agricultural areas: 4 575 540 ha (18 % is fallow),

• Mixed irrigated areas: 415 900 ha,

• Rangeland: 4 798 540 ha

Source: ONAGRI (2012) http://www.onagri.nat.tn/statistiques

Major crops in Tunisia • Cereals (North): 1 440 180 ha (33 % of cultivated area),

• Olives (Central part and North): 1 800 000 ha (40 % of cultivated area),

• Dates (Oasis of Southern Tunisia): 22 500 ha

• Fruit trees: 475 280 ha (11 %),

• Irrigated tree crops: 204 000 ha,

• Vegetables: 160 280 ha

Source: ONAGRI (2012) http://www.onagri.nat.tn/statistiques

Methods used by the Ministry of Agriculture to monitor crop yield

- Objective method at governorate level: field sampling+extrapolation

method (statistical department of MA: DGEDA),

- Non objective method at delegation level: sub-governorate (in-situ

visit of farmers and visual expertise (Agricultural production

department of MA: DGPA)

Agencies of the Ministry of Agriculture which are involved with CWP

• Agriculture Production Department (DGPA), National Institute of Field Crops (INGC), Rural

Engineering Department (irrigation), Agricultural Research and Higher Education Institute

(IRESA),..

Major on-going programs/projects for RS CWP determination

• Demonstration/research projects (WLI, ACLIMAS, IRA-project)

Methods used by the Ministry of Agriculture to monitor crop water use and evapotranspiration

• Indirect method using irrigation water accounting through

inflow/outflow of water into reservoirs, water level of reservoirs,

piezometers and water gauges in irrigation networks (GDA), crop

water requirement (FAO 56 method),

• No routine monitoring by RS, only experimental /research work

Water productivity for cereal crops in Tunisia

Yield and total water supply (P+I) at different scales

0

2

4

6

8

200 400 600 800

t/ha

Precipitation+Irrigation (october - mai ) mm

Yield and total water supply (P+I)/farmers

Ref. New Medit 1/2015

0

4

8

12

16

20

200 400 600 800

kg mm-1 ha-1

Precipitation+Irrigation (october - mai ) mm

WP and total water supply (P+I)/farmers

Ref. New Medit 1/2015

-1

0

1

2

3

4

0 4 8 12 16 20

MC

V (

Mil

le D

T/h

a)

WP (kg mm-1 ha-1)

Ref. New Medit 1/2015

Margin on variable cost and WP

1 Mille DT ≈ 500 USD

Routes for improvement and tools

15

10

Barely

20

25

0

2

4 6

8

10

12

14

Bread wheat 20

15

10

5

0 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990

1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990

1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990

Durum wheat

5

0

Cereal yield in Tunisia (q/ha) 1910-1997

SWIM (Sustainable Water Integrated Management) - Demonstration

Project Theme: Water and Climate Change

"European Neighborhood and Partnership (ENP) financial co-operation with Mediterranean countries“

EuropeAid/131046/C/ACT/Multi

Funded by Implemented by

Project duration December 29, 2011-December 28, 2015

Target Region Contact Person

Prof.Dr. Netij Ben Mechlia

INAT, Tunisia

E-mail:

netij.benmechlia@iresa.agrinet.tn

North-Eastern Tunisia

Indicator Actual Target

Cereal Yield (q/ha) 23 32

WP for cereals (Kg/m3) 0.6 0.8

Actual and target WP for cereal in North Eastern Tunisia (Results of undergoing ACLIMAS project)

Yield, ETa, Durum Wheat, Karim variety

y = 1.35 x - 0.24

R 2 = 0.87

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

1.1

1.2

0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

ETa / ETc

Y /

Y m

Identify areas with with high potential gain in WP (Y/ETa) in Tunisia: tools

• Yield estimation at sub-governorate level (delegation unit),

• Estimation of consumptive water use (ETa),

- ETa information is derived from RS data,

- In Tunisia, ET at spatial resolution of 375 X 375 m would be valuable (ALEXI ET),

- For higher spatial resolution for vegetables/fruit tree crops, disaggregation technique

is suggested,

- Daily ETa information,

• Better understanding of the crop yield ET relationships,

• Appropriation of the technology of RS-based ET retrieval and mapping,

• More precise data on actual yield using objective method (using delegation reporting

unit instead of governorate).

• Yield/Biomass estimation at pixel level using agrometeorological/empirical approaches.

• Crop mapping using phenological/calendar approach ,

To have an operational RS CWP in Tunisia

During this week, Prof Netij is organizing a workshop on cereal

productivity and productivity assessment and improvement

with different stakeholders from MA. So we can set up an

operational network for monitoring and technology transfer,

Thank you for your attention