September 2023

LFood security is more than ever a crucial issue for everyone. The latest geopolitical tensions but also climate change have prompted States to deepen reflection and take concrete measures to achieve food sovereignty. This requires that adequate policies be implemented in a responsible, participatory and inclusive manner. It is important today to take into account the international economic situation in the achievement of food sovereignty and security, knowing that the succession of crises, the drought, the decline in water resources, the Russia-Ukraine conflict have revealed the need for a transformation of the system food in the world and to invest more in resilience. President Kais Saïd indicated, during his participation in the United Nations Summit on Food Systems+2 last July in Rome, that the FAO is called upon to constitute a global strategic stock of cereals which might be accessed by countries in the need, emphasizing that “food must not become a weapon that destroys peoples”. At the national level, Tunisia suffered from the disturbances and fluctuations of the international market. It considers the cereals segment to be a national priority and a challenge to be met, whatever the difficulties and pitfalls. Indeed, and in order to mitigate the fragility of the agricultural sector, caused mainly by years of drought, it is essential to carry out the revision of the agricultural policy with a broad interest in cereal growing whose national consumption depends essentially on imports. It is also a matter of ensuring the increase in wheat storage capacity.

Tunisia is one of the countries most confronted with these challenges linked to the failure of agri-food systems. According to data published by the Cereals Office, the cereal harvest reached, until July 10, 2.3 million quintals, once morest 6.7 million quintals, the past season, a drop of around 66%. . Similarly, Tunisia is one of the countries with a high rate of water stress over the coming decades. Beyond the flaws in the grain chain at the world level revealed by the war in Ukraine, there is the observation of the state of national agriculture which pleads for a serious overhaul of its policy. The sector’s lack of vision has weakened all options to reinvigorate it. So much so that we do not know who is really an actor and who is not and who are the true supporters of the now volatile market.

Despite the difficulties, Tunisian agriculture does not lack assets, given the great agro-ecological diversity, the know-how of our farmers and the great potential for progress in terms of productivity and quality. The current challenges to achieve sovereignty and food security are closely linked to water stress, resulting from climate change and drought, in addition to the issue of distribution chains and land.