Historical review and future opportunities for wider scaling of conservation agriculture in Tunisia.

M’hamed, Hatem Cheikh; Bahri, Haithem; Annabi, Mohamed; Frija, Aymen; Idoudi, Zied

doi:10.1079/9781789245745.0007

Cited by 3 publications

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“…Tunisia, much like all the Mediterranean countries, was experiencing soil degradation due to climate change and intensive tillage. To face these challenges, Tunisian projects began to implement no-till/direct seeding from 1970 to 1980, which was followed later by the implementation of all CA principles [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Conservation Agriculture on Durum Wheat Grain, Dough Texture Profile and Pasta Quality in a Mediterranean Region

et al. 2023

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There is a growing interest in the Mediterranean regions to switch to conservation agriculture (CA) to address climate change and soil deterioration issues. The novelty of this study lies in the quality of the supply chain, from the raw material (durum wheat grain) to the ready-to-sell product (spaghetti), under long-term CA, and using two varieties over two years of study. This study aims to investigate the impact of two soil management systems (SM) (CA after 10/11 (since 2009–2010) years switching vs. conventional tillage (CT)) on grain quality, dough texture profile, and pasta quality of two Tunisian durum wheat varieties (Karim and Monastir) in a 2-year-long experiment (2019 and 2020). The results showed that the SM had a significant impact on the grain quality in both years in terms of protein content and wet gluten, which were, respectively, lower under CA (11.92% vs. 11.15% for protein content) and (18.75% vs. 17.68% for wet gluten) in the wet year. These parameters increased in the dry year but they were higher under CA (15.70% vs. 14.42 ± 0.94% for protein content) and (26.00% vs. 23.20% for wet gluten). These results have, in turn, affected the dough quality (springiness, chewiness, and cohesiveness) and pasta cooking time and decreased the pasta cooking loss and water absorption index. In terms of the variety (V) factor, “Karim” variety in the dry year had a higher protein content and better dough quality than “Monastir” variety, and it reduced the pasta cooking time. In addition, the pasta yellow index (b*) from grains grown under CA was always higher than those in the CT system (23.99 vs. 19.72% and 25.24 vs. 22.19% in 2019 and 2020, respectively). The interaction between SM and V was significant in both years only for the dough hardness and pasta b* parameters. In conclusion, long-term CA may be a crucial solution in the dry season to promote food quality and achieve sustainable agriculture goals.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Conservation Agriculture on Durum Wheat Grain, Dough Texture Profile and Pasta Quality in a Mediterranean Region

et al. 2023

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A critical assessment of conservation agriculture among smallholders in the Mediterranean region: adoption pathways inspired by agroecological principles

Cicek,

Topp,

Plieninger

et al. 2023

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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Conservation agriculture (CA) is the key agricultural soil management approach for Mediterranean rainfed systems facing extreme droughts and soil degradation. Yet, CA uptake and applicability is still marginal and disputed in the Mediterranean region, where smallholder farmers are most representative. Lack of widespread adoption of CA in the Mediterranean region despite international efforts is perplexing. In order to investigate this paradox and provide solutions, we set out to examine the perceived constraints to CA implementation among farmers and stakeholders. Our approach is based on systems analysis of Mediterranean grain production systems, considering plant and livestock production, as well as sustainability and social-ecological interactions. CA promotion efforts are rarely adapted to the context of the Mediterranean region. We argue for adopting a more pragmatic and flexible approach to CA. Such an approach should be based on site-specific bio-physical and sociocultural considerations and augmented with principles of agroecology. Our review of perceived constraints allows us to suggest five pathways that could promote CA adoption in the Mediterranean across two main areas: (i) introduction of flexible, context-specific technical solutions and (ii) change of social perceptions and literacy on soil. Our five pathways aim to enhance farmers’ resilience to challenges of climate and market shocks, while integrating agroecological principles that enhance ecosystem multifunctionality. We advocate using agroecological principles to enable a more pragmatic application of CA with respect to its strict application—such as continuous no-till—to rehabilitate degraded lands, to increase water use efficiency, and to improve food security and economic well-being of communities in the Mediterranean region.

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Assessing complementary synergies for integrated crop–livestock systems under conservation agriculture in Tunisian dryland farming systems

Dhehibi¹,

Fouzai²,

Frija³

et al. 2023

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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The aim of this paper is twofold. The first objective is to measure the technical efficiency of mixed crop-livestock (CL) smallholder producers operating under conservation agriculture systems in Tunisian rainfed areas. The second objective is to explore complementarities, synergies, and economies of diversification across the different production system components of these crop-livestock producers using the cross-partial derivative framework of output variables in the distance function. A simple random sampling process was employed to select and survey 59 CL smallholders operating under conservation agriculture. The collected data were analyzed using a stochastic input distance function in which synergies were estimated based on the second cross-partial derivative concept of output variables in the distance function. Results show that technical inefficiencies are significant in integrated crop-livestock systems, and there is evidence that economic diversification provides a productivity buffer against climate change threats. As a sustainable intensification strategy, this integrated system also offers a potential advantage. The results further contribute to the debate on crop diversification vs. specialization. Although an enhanced system integration could be a financially and ecologically viable option for mixed crop-livestock systems, more pathways for profitable and viable diversification of cereal-based or orchard-based systems remain to be explored.

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Historical review and future opportunities for wider scaling of conservation agriculture in Tunisia.

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Influence of Conservation Agriculture on Durum Wheat Grain, Dough Texture Profile and Pasta Quality in a Mediterranean Region

Influence of Conservation Agriculture on Durum Wheat Grain, Dough Texture Profile and Pasta Quality in a Mediterranean Region

A critical assessment of conservation agriculture among smallholders in the Mediterranean region: adoption pathways inspired by agroecological principles

Assessing complementary synergies for integrated crop–livestock systems under conservation agriculture in Tunisian dryland farming systems

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