Transcript Diapositive 1

CLCA Post-Phase I
Prospects and Opportunities
TUNISIA
3rd Coordination and Project Closing Meeting
Amman – Jordan
05th April, 2016
Mohamed Chakroun et al.
INRAT
Existing policy and institutional options to enhance
adoption of conservation agriculture in Tunisia
 Conservation agriculture has been adopted on the national strategy 2016-2020 as
a system that helps reduce soil degradation (DGACTA program) and climate
change mitigation;
The Minister appointed a committee to develop a national strategy to improve
adoption of CA and the commission has finished his work and now the report
developed by the commission is on the Minister’s desk;
 The agricultural minister has approved the creation of an international center of
agro-ecology and the principal mission of this center is to promote CA and climate
change mitigation ;
 The National Institute of Field Crops (INGC) has adopted a specific program
on CA in order to up-scaling CA and to enhance capicity of technicians and
farmers by the organization of training, field days, farm field school, Broadcast of
CA by flyer produced, media (radio, tv, newspaper..)
Several farm associations were created (APAD, ET TOUN, Fernana, Sidi
bouzid,…) in order to enhance adoption of CA.
Research activities on consrvation agriculture in Tunisia
 INRAT has adopted a specific program on conservation agriculture witch involved
multidisciplinary team (agronomy, livestock, socioeconomic and plant protection)
 Large scale trials (28 ha) on conservation agriculture were implemented since 2013
in the experimental station of INRAT/Bourbiaa which will be used for different tests
Low cost no-till drill (11000 dollars) was locally produced in the framework of CANAproject
Main outputs of CLCA project
 Partnership between INRAT and PDAI was elaborated.
Confidence built up between INRAT team and Chouarnia farmers.
New forage crops were introduced in the rotation (vetch/tcl, oats,.. ) as hay in
order to substitute residues grazing. These new forage crops have improved soil
health, livestock and income of farmers.
Problem of the availability of forage seeds.
Improving trust between researchers, extension services and farmers
 Dry grazing of vetch can substitute fallow and residues
 Improvement of agronomic package for cereals under CA
 Trade off between stubble grazing and conservation agriculture was
determined and was tested in large scale
 Acquisition of two no-till drills
Oppotinities for second phase of CLCA project
 Up scaling of trade off between stubble grazing and conservation agriculture
 Development of strategy on forage seeds production
 Support and strengthen the existing farms associations and encourage to
create new associations
 Enhancing capacity building of local extension services and farmers
(training, field days, FFS…….)
 Quantification (agronomic and economic) at the watershed scale the effect of
CA on water erosion
 Study the effect of crop sequences/rotation under conservation agriculture
on water productivity
 Test new forage species adapted to the agro-ecology context (legumes and
cereals legumes based mixtures) in order to improve crops diversification.
Develop complete ration using forages, shrubs and by products
 Long term assesment of soil fertility either on-station and on-farm levels
 Improuve knowledge of farmers' on forages storage (hay, silage….)
 Introduction of shrubs (contour line) to consolidate different techniques of CES
 Introduction of olive tree based agroforestry systems under CA
 Flocs management need to be learned to farmers
 Maintain link with Chouarnia and Snad Haddad farmers and start to work with
other communities.
 Need to maintain long term trial implemented at Bourbiaa (vetch based rotation
under CV vs CA) and alley cropping trials.
On behalf of CLCA team:
Thank you for your attention
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