Climate Change Threatens Agricultural Production in Tunisia

Climate change experts are sounding the alarm over the significant impact of water scarcity and reduced rainfall on Tunisia's agricultural sector, which is crucial for the nation's food security.

The diminished water supply and unpredictable weather patterns are challenging the sustainability of farming practices in the region.

Raoudha Gafrej, a Tunisian expert in water policy and climate change adaptation, highlighted that the rainfall in Tunisia this year reached only 62% of the annual average.

While this is an improvement from previous years, which saw only 50% of the average rainfall, it is still insufficient.

The current rainfall levels have not substantially replenished reservoirs, with inflows amounting to just 639 million cubic meters, representing 37% of the average.

Gafrej noted that 90% of surface water is allocated for drinking purposes, leaving farmers with limited resources.

Despite warnings from the Ministry of Agriculture to avoid planting water-intensive crops like pumpkins and tomatoes, many farmers have resorted to purchasing water from others with deep wells, leading to the over-extraction of groundwater.

This has resulted in unregulated drilling of deep wells without proper licenses, exacerbating the depletion of underground water reserves.

To cope with the deteriorating surface water resources and increasing agricultural water needs, the state has turned to using treated wastewater for irrigating fodder crops and olive trees.

Additionally, a water rationing system has been implemented, cutting off water supply for 10 hours nightly.

While this measure has reduced water network losses by 5%, it has not significantly curbed overall water usage. Many Tunisians have expressed frustration over the water cuts, which impact their ability to irrigate their crops.

The Ministry of Agriculture reported a dramatic decline in grain harvests, with only 270,000 quintals collected in 2022, compared to 750,000 quintals in the previous season, and 1.5 million in 2020. This shortfall threatens the food security of approximately 2.7 million Tunisian families who rely heavily on wheat-based bread.

Mohamed Zmerli, an official at Tunisia's Ministry of Environment, emphasized that the country is experiencing rapid and severe climate change impacts. He noted that temperatures have risen by 1.6 degrees Celsius compared to the early 20th century, surpassing the global average temperature increase.

Additionally, there has been a marked reduction in rainfall, an increase in natural disasters such as floods and wildfires, gradual loss of sand, and coastal erosion exceeding 15%.