| Value of the Human Development Index8 | 0.763 |
| Rank of Tunisia in the category of developing countries according to HDI (out of 174 countries source UNDP) | 75 |
| Rank of Tunisia in the category of developing countries according to GDP (out of 174 countries source UNDP) | 66 |
| Population (1995) | 9 million inhabitants |
| Actively employed population | 2.1 million |
| Urban population (as % of total population) | 61% |
| Average annual population growth | 1.8% |
| Active annual growth of active population | 3% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 68 years |
| Poverty index (as % of the population) | 7% |
| Access to drinking water (as % of the population) | 69% |
| Doctors per 1000 inhabitants | 5.45 (in 1992) |
| Schooling rate for girls (6-13 years old) | 82% in 1993-94 |
| Schooling rate for boys (6-13 years old) | 88.7% in 1993-94 |
| GNP per inhabitant | $ 1,860 (the highest among Arab-African countries, oil producers excluded) |
| Percentage of women in the active population | in 1966
in 1994 |
6%
23.1% |
| Contribution of women to income generation through work | 19.5% |
Participation of women in governmental and administrative authorities
| % of women in the Chamber of Deputies (1995) | 7 % |
| % of women town councillors (1995) | 16.5 % |
| % of women functionally employed in public office (1995) | 12 % |
| % of women administrators and managers (1995) | 7.3 % |
| % of women on the staff of popularizers supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture | 5 % |
| The agricultural sector as a percentage of GDP | 15% | |
| The agricultural sector as a percentage of foreign trade | 14% | |
| Index of food production per inhabitant in 1992 (base reference 1980 = 100) | 121 | |
| Male population actively employed in agriculture (forestry, fishing) | 22.4% | |
| Female population actively employed in agriculture (forestry, fishing) (NSI 1994) | 20.4% | |
| Number of farms | 471,000 | |
| % of farms with a surface area under 5 hectares | 80% | |
| Cultivated land | 5 million hectares | |
| Irrigated cultivated land | 350,000 hectares | |
| Main agricultural activities | cereals and vegetables, olives, extensive animal rearing, dry and irrigated tree cultivation | |
| Estimate of the importance of eroded cultivable land (in %) | 47% | |
Climate: characteristic of the humid Mediterranean bio-climate.
Soil: often subject to different forms of erosion.
Vegetation: dominant vegetable formation: forest composed of cork-oak.
Employment and productive activities:
· the female population is active in agriculture and rearing;
· 17 women are occasional wage-earners (2 months a year) for a strawberry plant production company;
· the other women work on small family holdings;
· women do not have access to work on national building sites.
· major activity: animal rearing from pastoral forest resources;
· among the women, only a few widows own livestock;
· beekeeping is well developed; a micro-project, initiated by the NGO FSDA in 1993 has stimulated the recent expansion of this activity;
· tree cultivation is the second-ranked agricultural activity with selective irrigation;
· market gardening is often linked to tree cultivation;
· semi-forest tree cultivation is limited to several walnut plantations for the production of roots and their commercialization;
· cereal cultivation is absent from the productive system; 2/3 households cultivate small plots of broad beans for self-consumption and to complement cattle fodder;
· hay comes from defending natural herbaceous vegetation.
· tree cultivation: maintenance and selective irrigation of walnut trees and other fruit trees, picking of olives and other products;
· vegetable cultivation: all tasks;
· transformation of agricultural products on a reduced scale and solely for self-consumption: production of salted butter using the surplus of spring milk, olive oil, drying of peppers or figs.
Development of forestry by-products:
Myrtle distilling: companies specialized in the extraction of essential oils and their export; during the summer season they employ a hundred or so women of the zone in picking and transport of myrtle twigs to refineries.
Aqueous distilling: the NGO FSDA, in cooperation with the population, has drawn up and implemented a micro-project for the aqueous distillation of plants. Of the 160 women and young girls trained, 102 (64%) have put their know-how into practice. The rate of reimbursement of credits granted for distillation material is currently 30%; this weak rate is explained by the difficulties of selling the production, of which 80% is destined for sale.
Mushroom gathering: this product is exported fresh to Italy. Mushroom operations are granted by tender. The population (women, children, men) arranges the gathering and sells to an intermediary authorized by the producer to organize this activity.
Sources of monetary income: (see the composite calendar in Annex 4):
· no matter the interest group (breeders, breeders and irrigators, breeders and beekeepers), breeding is the main source of agricultural/forestry income;
· only those operators who use irrigation can market fruit and vegetables; the quantity is however restricted given the low level of intensification;
· the sale of walnuts for using the roots offers a significant income compared to other forms of cultivation;
· the development of beekeeping is a real opportunity for households that do not practise extensive breeding; the production and marketing of quality honey (bitter honey) represent one of the main sources of income.
| Activity | Objectives |
| Promotion of
distillation of forest plants |
· Begin setting up of a CIFA and support its realization;
· Encourage lavender planting in clearings through a contract for the development and management of forestry resources between DGF and the CIFA; · Stimulate planting initiatives in family gardens: dog rose, mint, geranium, water mint, vervain; · Prior study of resources that can be reasonably mobilized for the production of essential oils; · Encourage the organization of production groups with the CIFA for collection and distillation (common extraction stills); · Increase knowledge about essential oils: planting, use, oil mixtures in cosmetics and para-pharmacy. |
| Creation of small
irrigated areas |
· Develop water sources and distribution networks,
organize their exploitation in relation to population distribution and
encourage the construction of rainwater collection tanks for the creation
of family orchards;
· Study the possibility of constructing of hillside lakes; · Encourage the collective installation of fences according to the division of irrigable plots; · Promote women's proposals for production systems linking fruit and semi-forest tree cultivation (walnut, cherry, pacanier, bay-tree, olive and fig) with new market garden cultivation (French bean, haricot bean, gombo, corète, garlic, potato, onion, etc.); · Encourage and extend strawberry growing for plant production and for fruit that can be easily sold in the regional market (tourist zone). |
| Development of
beekeeping |
· Train women and young girls on the basis of existing
know-how, supply them with full hives on credit terms to start activity
and ensure direct technical support in the first two years;
· Encourage melliferous plantations and cultivations in the framework of the diversification of agro-forestry systems. |
| Development of animal breeding | · Install permanent meadows in forest clearings and
introduce rotating cultivation of sulla and bersim;
· Allow women access to credit for the purchase of more productive livestock, according to the adherence and participation of populations in the development of pastoral and fodder resources; · Encourage rabbit and chicken raising through technical support, particularly vaccination against contagious disease and financial support for developing henhouses and hutches. |
| Organization of the population and rural animation | · Reinforce the organization of the population by
opening up membership of the development committee to unrepresented village
women, and ensure a programme for the development of the organization to
the benefit of the committee;
· Help the population create a services cooperative to ensure the supply of inputs and the marketing of products, and to open up possibilities for women to obtain credit; · Equip the development centre set up by FSDA and increase its animation functions in the fields of training, information and popularization; (part of the centre should be developed for the future activities of the services cooperative); · Reinforce the initiative to train two female aide-animators, carried out by FSDA, develop their know-how and involve them in animation and technical training of women. |
| Infrastructural
improvement |
· Ensure better supply of drinking water for the
population of the most disadvantaged villages;
· Improve access to villages through improvement of the most impassable tracks. |
| Classification | Score | Cultivation
of vegetables |
Breeding and small
breeding |
Fruit and semi-forest tree
cultivation |
Distilling | Strawberry cultivation | Beekeeping | |
| 3 | 3 | Beekeeping | Cultivation
of vegetables |
Breeding and small breeding | Beekeeping | Beekeeping | Beekeeping | |
| 6 | 0 | Cultivation of strawberries | Cultivation of vegetables | Breeding and small breeding | Fruit and semi-forest tree
cultivation |
Distilling | ||
| 5 | 1 | Distilling | Cultivation of vegetables | Breeding and small breeding | Fruit and semi-forest tree
cultivation |
|||
| 4 | 2 | Fruit and semi-forest tree
cultivation |
Cultivation of vegetables | Breeding and small breeding | ||||
| 1 | 5 | Breeding and small breeding | Breeding and small breeding | |||||
| 2 | 4 | Cultivation of vegetables |
| Classification | Score | Cactus
planting |
Fruit and semi-forest tree cultivation | Cultivation of vegetables | Beekeeping | Distilling | Breeding (goats) and small breeding | |
| 2 | 3 | Breeding (goats) and small breeding | Breeding (goats) and small breeding | Breeding and small breeding | Cultivation of vegetables | Beekeeping | Breeding (goats) and small breeding | |
| 4 | 0 | Distilling | Cactus planting | Fruit and semi-forest tree cultivation | Cultivation of vegetables | Beekeeping | ||
| 1 | 4 | Beekeeping | Cactus planting | Fruit and semi-forest tree cultivation | Cultivation of vegetables | |||
| 1 | 4 | Cultivation of vegetables | Cultivation of vegetables | Cultivation of vegetables | ||||
| 3 | 1 | Fruit and semi-forest tree cultivation | Cactus planting | |||||
| 2 | 3 | Cactus planting |
| Activity | Resources available
for the activity |
What women
can do or give |
What they seek
in terms of help/support |
Motivations
for the activity |
Constraints/obstacles |
| 1. Breeding
and small breeding |
Labour
Livestock |
Realization
Maintenance Initial know-how |
Improvement of grazing land and pastures
Sheepfolds Facilitate food supplies Popularization |
Real marketing possibilities: milk, wool, butter, cheese,
eggs ...
Non-restrictive activity Self-consumption Micro-project in the course of preparation with FSDA to improve local goat breed |
Insufficient fodder and pastoral resources
Heavy spending on food (particularly for cows) Illness Lack of popularization Absence of sound henhouses Lack of in situ concentrated and fodder supplies Difficult access to some villages |
| 2. Cultivation of
winter and summer vegetables |
Land
Labour |
Realization
Maintenance |
Water supply
Plot fencing Easier supplies of inputs, plants and seeds Popularization |
Marketing possibilities
Self-consumption (reduction in spending) Recognition of existing agricultural work Recognition of agricultural work already practised |
Damage caused by boars
Insufficient water supply currently available High incidence of illness No popularization Treatment and fertilizer products not available in situ Inaccessibility of credit |
| Activity | Resources available
for the activity |
What women
can do or give |
What they seek
in terms of help/support |
Motivations
for the activity |
Constraints/obstacles |
| 3. Beekeeping | Melliferous resources | Realization
Maintenance |
Sales points
Credits and subsidies with simple procedures (NGOs) |
Marketing possibilities
Self-consumption Medical use Already existing micro-project in the zone with encouraging results |
Insufficient,even lack of training
Unavailability of material/equipment Insufficient investment capacity and high equipment prices Eventual marketing difficulties Insufficient melliferous resources |
| 4. Fruit and semi-forest tree cultivation | Land
Labour |
Realization
Maintenance |
Adapted plants
Plot fencing Popularization Fight against caterpillars |
Marketing and income improvement possibilities
Self-consumption (reduction in spending) |
Insufficient water resources
Damage caused by boars Over-expensive fencing Damage caused by caterpillars No supplies of inputs and treatment products for spraying No popularization No sales points High sales prices |
| Activity | Resources available
for the activity |
What women
can do or give |
What they seek
in terms of help/support |
Motivations
for the activity |
Constraints/obstacles |
| 5. Distillation of aromatic plants | Training
Equipment (partial) Labour Raw materials |
Planting
Picking Distilling |
Complementary training for essential oil extraction
Advice on packing Support for marketing |
Possibility of improving women's incomes
Existence of a centre that can be used for training Material and equipment, partly available Medical use |
Marketing difficulties
Difficulty of supplies of gas cylinders and conditioning bottles Insufficient quantity of raw materials for certain species (eucalyptus, geranium) Lack of precision scales High price of gas cylinders |
| 6. Strawberry cultivation | Land
Labour |
Realization
Maintenance |
Water + fencing
Credits Input supplies |
Income improvement | No training, no local know-how
Current job offers too limited Damage caused by boars Risk of marketing difficulties |
Abderrahmane Ben Boubaker, Ali Albouchi, "Socio-economic impact of the use of secondary forest products in Kroumirie-Mogods", 1993.
Abderrahmane Ben Boubaker, "Support for the promotion of local self-management structures and professional organizations", Mission to formulate programmes integrated rural development and natural resource management programmes in Tunisia, Ministry of Agriculture, Commission of the European Communities, 1996.
CWRSDI, "Women in Tunisia: Realities and perspectives", 1994.
Helal Saïd, "Development of a strategy and plan of action in favour of women", "Women and agro-forestry" component, 1997.
National Statistics Institute, "National Census", 1994.
Ministry of Agriculture, Directorate-General for Forestry, World Bank, "Forestry development project", 1995.
Ministry of Agriculture, Directorate-General for Financing and Patronage, World Bank, "Evaluation report on the natural resource management project", March 1997.
Ministry for the Environment and Territorial Development, "National action programme for the environment and sustainable development in the 21st century", national Agenda 21, 1995.
Office for Silvipastoral Development in the North-West, GTZ assistance-counsel, Abderrahmane Ben Boubaker, Johannes H. Bellmann, "Methods of using and developing forest products in Kroumirie-Mogods (Tunisia)".
Office for Silvipastoral Development in the North-West, GTZ assistance-counsel, Abderrahmane Ben Boubaker et al, "The integrated participatory approach", MEDIAPUB Publication, 1996.
UNDP, Annual Report, 1995.
Zghidi Moncef, "Participatory development", APEH, 1994.
8 The HDI is calculated on the basis of:
- life expectancy at birth;
- level of education (illiteracy, rate of schooling);
- incomes expressed in terms of buying power.
