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Dr. OUJI Ali

Project Title"Enhanced small-holder wheat-legume cropping systems to improve food security under changing climate in the drylands of west Asia and North Africa"Country – Successes, Lessons Learnt & Challenges Ahead

PRRDANOSAField Crops Laboratory- INRAT - Tunisia

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Major Focus Areas of Project Activities in Tunisia* Jendouba Governorate: (Fernana/Baldyia/Boussalem/Balta)

North-West (close to the border with Algeria). Humid region: annual rainfall 600-700 mm. Soil: Fertile (black clay). Cropping system: Wheat/F. Legumes/Vegetable Farmers: mostly small holdersMain constraints: foliar diseases, weed control, …

*Béja Governorate: (Amdoun / Hamrounia) North-west of Tunisia. Humid region: annual rainfall around 600 mm. Soil: generally fertile (vertisol)Cropping system: wheat/food legume or sunflowerFarmers: small holdersMain constraints: foliar diseases, Orobanche infestation on faba bean and sunflower and septoria leaf blotch on wheat.

*Kef Governorate (Neber) North-West of Tunisia. Semi arid: 400-450 mm Soil: fertile Cropping system: wheat /fallowFarmers: Mostly small holders

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Varieties Released

• Faba bean: 1 variety registered (Chourouk) and 1 variety proposed for registration (Chams)

• Chickpea : 2 varieties registered (Nour and Rebha) • Lentil: 2 varieties registered (Boulifa and Ebba)

• Durum wheat: 2 varieties proposed for registration (INRAT 100 and Dhahbi)

• Bread wheat: 2 varieties proposed for registration

(Neapolis and Bellarugia)

Project Outputs

ChouroukBadï

Chams Badï

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Technologies Produced* Adopted Methodology for Technology Transfer and Variety

Dissemination : Leader farmer and Satellite farmers (10-15)

Project Outputs

* Variety Popularisation : concerned mainly Chickpea, Faba Bean

and Durum Wheat

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Fungal Disease Surveillance and Control

* IPM package

Project Outputs

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* Supplemental irrigation

Project Outputs

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Participatory Variety Selection

* Participatory varietal selection (PVS) : Improved advanced lines of durum wheat, chickpea and lentil

were implemented

Project Outputs

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Seed Produced

* The project supported food legume and wheat

breeding programs for early generation seed increase

and variety maintenance particularly those recently

registered (Morneg, Kef, Beja, Oued Mliz, El Gantra)

*The project provided INGC/SMSA El Falah Boussalem

(Basic Company mutual of Agriculture Services) with

seed cleaning and conditioning unit

Project Outputs

Type of the activity Number Number of Participants

Field Days 24 (Disease diagnostics and control, seeding,

Weed control, Fertilisation, Irrigation, Crop management, harvesting, seed

production ...)

550

In-country courses 5 134

Farm Field School 3 15-23 in each group

In country Travelling Workshop with Stakeholders

1 65

Capacity Development of Farmers and Extension Staff (2013-2014-2015)

Capacity Development of Research and Support Staff Regional Courses (2013-2014-2015)

Courses Number of ParticipantsFood legume breeding 4

Classical and Molecular approaches in Wheat 3Seed Production 3Supplemental Irrigation 2

GIS 5

Innovation Platforms; On-farm Trials – Design and Analysis

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IPM for legume and wheat 2

Total 21

In-Country CoursesCourse Title1- Farm Field School Facilitation

2- Uses of molecular tools in cereal and food legume breeding3- Supplemental irrigation

4- Seed production and variety maintenance5- Diagnosis and management of wheat and food legume diseases

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Total number of small farmers in the project area

Amdoun (Beja Governorate) 2 300Nebeur (Kef Governorate) 2 000Baldia (Jendouba Governorate) 310Hamrounia (Beja Governorate) 400

Total 5010

Project Outcomes

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* Project site : Amdoun (Beja):

2010-2011 2013-2014 Variation %

Durum wheat 2.80 3.20 +14

Faba been 1.50 2.00 +33

Chickpea (Amdoun) (Beja governorate )

1.201.26

1.801.54

+50+22

Regional statistics 2015

Evolution of Yields (t/ha)

The increase of Faba bean area is coupled with the increase of livestock in Amdoun (86000 beef and sheep heads in 2013/2014 against 78000 in 2013/2014).

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*Project site : Hamrounia (Beja)

2010-2011 2013-2014 Variation %

Durum wheat 2.30 2.40 +4

Faba been 1.50 1.80 +20

Chickpea 1.00 1.20 +20

Evolution of Yields (t/ha)

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Project site : Nebeur (Kef)

2012-2013 2013-2014 Variation %Durum wheat 1.40 2.20 +57

Faba been 0.90 1.00 +11

Chickpea 1.00 1.20 +20

Evolution of Yields (t/ha)

Income increase The project proposed package had a significant effect on income and on loss to win of income of Béjà1and Neyer.

Béjà 1

The loss to win was of 505 US $/ha for Béjà 1 The loss to win was of 472 US $/ha for Neyer

Neyer

New enterprise

The project contributes to the development of a Basic Company mutual of

Agriculture Services (CMSA at Bousalem)

EU-IFAD project allowed to introduce and consolidate the presence

of food legume crop with improved varieties with recommended

package in some regions particularly in Kef governorate

The seed unit that was purchased in 2014 serve project farmers and

their neighboring for cleaning and treatment of self produced of

improved wheat and food legume varieties.

The project consolidate the relationships between farmers, technical

agents, researchers and economic operators

Outstanding Project Result

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Project Upscaling and Outscaling

• The successful case of seed processing for farmer’s community at Boussalem will be generalized progressively for other communities to enhance the use of better seed quality and develop the utilization of improved varieties recommended by the research system

• Other communities claims to be involved in the project to access to the technologies disseminated

Lessons learnt from shortfalls * The short period of the Project is not enough to see its impact* Implication of woman and young is quite low

Lessons learnt from successesThe participative approach appreciated and showed its efficiency for

dissemination of improved varieties and technologies

Lessons Learnt from the Project

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Policy, Regulations & Market Constraints

• Ministry of Agriculture ordered a study for the development of food and forage legumes in Tunisia (enhanced in 2015 and will be finished in 2016)

• Minister of Agriculture declares in April 13, 2016 that he will wait the recommendation of the study to take measures to develop food and forage legumes (support the seed production, collect the production, …)

THANK YOU