Knowledge Management Portal

The "Business models for small-scale mechanization of animal feed to improve farmers’ incomes, soil conservation and climate change adaptation/mitigation" presentation was delivered at the SIAT2022 organized in Tunisia during the period of 12-15 October 2022.

The Blog shows how ICARDA's context-adapted technologies and machines significantly improve the livelihoods of dryland small-landholders in the Tunisian Agroecological Living Landscape (Kef-Siliana Transect) – the hardest hit by intensifying climate change and global shocks.

The objective of this work is to i) present a socio-technical package of agroecological interventions that are already being tested for this type of mixed farming system in the semi-arid area of Tunisia, and ii) illustrate the scope and mechanisms for scaling up this package. Results further illustrate the key factors that have led to a change in attitude and behaviour among local actors and farmers towards a better co-generation, co-sharing, and adoption of agroecological principles at farm, community, and landscape levels. This work was presented at the Tropentag 2022 conference in Prague Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague/Czech Republic: September 14-16

Group photo integrated pest management of date palm using modern and conventional techniques training workshop, 5-9 June 2022, KSA

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) is a cornerstone in the soil-water-food nexus of the desert ecosystem-dominated Arabian Peninsula (AP) region. Through protected cultivation, the harsh abiotic constraints for desert farming are managed. ICARDA and national implementing partners in AP tested and optimized a combination of solar energy powered-AC/D.C. water cooling and irrigation, closed hydroponics, net-house, root zone area cooling, and ultra-low-pressure drippers. The combination reduced energy consumption by up to 95% and water by up to 80%, mainly by eliminating the pad and fan cooling system. No quantitative or qualitative yield penalties were observed. The system operates with sensors attached to the automatic controller for cooling, irrigation, and fertigation management, which is the first step towards CEA's precision climate-smart agriculture technology. This paper aims to share the additive impacts demonstrated by incorporating five greenhouse technologies on the water- and energy-use efficiency, cost-effectiveness, environmental health, and the approach's potential on CEA in desert ecosystems. Keywords: AD/DC hybrid solar system, soilless production system, net-house, Ultra low pressure dripper, Root zone area cooling Ajman 6th International Environment Conference

Brochure for the GIZ-Funded SWC@Scale Project: Towards the Effective Scaling of Soil and Water Conservation Technologies under different Agroecosystems in North and Central West Tunisia. Due to the high diversity in semi-arid drylands, land degradation cannot be addressed through uniform blanket soil and water conservation technologies (SWCT) and related policies. SWCTs are local level activities and practices that maintain or enhance the productive capacity of the land including soil, water, and vegetation in areas prone to degradation. These also include practices that contribute to the prevention or reduction of soil erosion, compaction, salinity, etc. In order to be successful, it is required that investments in SWCT options are tailored to the specific and highly variable social and ecological contexts. At the same time, these investments are more profitable when they achieve concrete impact at a large scale. Well-designed, appropriate, and structured scaling approaches are a prerequisite to take the impact of such SWCTs to scale. At the same time, appropriate indicators, and tools for monitoring the impact of scaling investments are also needed to further enhance the value-for-money of such investments. The Project suggests designing research for development activities that can help addressing the above-mentioned research questions. In doing so, the project will mainstream existing conceptual and practical knowledge to support the effective implementation of the overall ProSol program and provide additional guidance to ACTA 2050 strategy in Tunisia.

Communication orale sur " L’olivier en Tunisie, entre le temps et l’espace" présentée durant le 7ème Colloque international de l’Ecole Supérieure d’Agriculture de Mogran Gestion Intégrée des Ressources Naturelles et Agriculture Durable (GIRNAD), 15-16 Décembre, Hammamet - Tunisie

Communication orale sur "Approche participative en faveur de la transition agroécologique face agressions naturelles et anthropiques en Tunisie centrale" présentée durant le 7ème Colloque international de l’Ecole Supérieure d’Agriculture de Mogran Gestion Intégrée des Ressources Naturelles et Agriculture Durable (GIRNAD), 15-16 Décembre, Hammamet - Tunisie