Tunisia: Advancing Precision Irrigation with IREY Gen 3

On Thursday, 5 December 2024, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), WaPOR’s international implementing partner, met with the Tunisian National Institute of Field Crops (INGC)'s Deputy Director, Anis Bouselmi, to officially transfer the IREY Gen 3 code.

The upgraded IREY tool, developed by IWMI, introduces advanced capabilities to simulate rootzone soil moisture, enabling precise irrigation scheduling tailored to the agricultural conditions of the Tunisian study area. The advancements were validated by comparing simulated and observed rootzone soil water reserves, demonstrating significant improvements over the previous version of the tool.

The parties agreed to finalize the forecasting module in IREY, which will allow farmers to anticipate future water demands and address past water deficits, and to collaborate with the private IT sector to integrate the IREY engine into mobile applications, providing customized irrigation advice for farmers.

The INGC underscored the strategic importance of FAO and IWMI support in improving irrigation efficiency, highlighting IREY’s potential to optimize water use across Tunisia's wheat-growing regions in collaboration with the national taskforce of the WaPOR project. They also emphasized the need to scale up the adoption of mobile tools among farmers and extend IREY’s methodology to other contexts.

Looking ahead, IWMI and INGC are seeking FAO support to disseminate these findings through tailored events planned for early 2025, showcasing the critical role of precision tools like IREY Gen 3 in advancing sustainable water management in Tunisia and beyond.