Tunisia is one of the most water-scarce countries worldwide, with total renewable water resources estimated at only 4.9 billion m³ per year. Renewable water availability declined to approximately 390 m³ per capita per year in 2020, well below the international water scarcity threshold, while the country reached a water stress level of 96% in 2019, reflecting an increasingly critical imbalance between available resources and growing demand.

Agriculture accounts for nearly 80% of total freshwater withdrawals and remains highly dependent on limited and increasingly vulnerable water resources. Tunisia faces a structural gap between water supply and demand that is being exacerbated by climate change and increasing climate variability. Average annual rainfall is only 207 mm and is characterized by strong spatial and temporal variability, ranging from more than 600 mm in the humid northern regions to less than 100 mm in the arid south.

As a result, both rainfed and irrigated agricultural systems are under mounting pressure. Strategic production systems, including cereals, olive groves and oasis date palm farming, are increasingly affected by recurrent droughts, declining soil fertility, land degradation and the overexploitation of groundwater resources, including deep aquifers with limited natural recharge. These challenges threaten agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods, food security and the long-term sustainability of the country's natural resource base.

Under the Regional Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI) programme, FAO works with the Government of Tunisia and national partners across the Programme's three strategic outcomes: strengthening agricultural water governance, building the resilience of food systems and water services, and advancing knowledge, innovation and regional cooperation.