Tunis, 8 November 2024 – Irrigated land developed by IFAD-supported projects helped mitigate the effects of aridity and droughts in Tunisia. Direct management of private and public rangeland by livestock producers had an undeniable impact, permitting the regeneration of biodiversity and increasing the value of rangeland forage. These findings relate to the most recent Tunisia Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation (CSPE), which Dr Indran A. Naidoo, Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), presented to a group of distinguished representatives of the IFAD Executive Board (EB) during a country visit to Tunisia.

Organized from the 3^rd to the 8^th of November 2024, the visit enabled the EB representatives to witness IFAD’s work on the ground and observe first-hand the opportunities and challenges that the Fund faces in carrying out its mandate. Delegates included Santino Magalhães Cavalcanti, Secretariat for International Affairs of Brasil; Zeng Shiyang, Second Secretary of Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the Rome-based UN agencies; Vincent Abt, Conseiller Agriculture et Sécurité Alimentaire auprès du Chef du service des Affaires multilatérales et du Développement à la Direction générale du Trésor de la France;  Ronald Meyer, Alternate Permanent Representative of Germany to the International Organizations in Rome; Purna Cita Nugraha, Alternate Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to IFAD Rome; Yaya O. Olaniran, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the Rome-based UN agencies; Jacqueline Boniface Mbuya, Minister Plenipotentiary Agriculture Attaché and Alternate Permanent Representative of the United Republic of Tanzania to the UN Rome-based Agencies Rome; and Christopher Clem, International Economist Office of International Development Policy U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The mission promoted dialogue with state and local government officials regarding IFAD’s role in Tunisia, allowed Board representatives to meet beneficiaries, and provided an insight into the importance of public policy as a means of promoting rural development. In addition, EB members also gained a better understanding of the lessons emerging from the 2019 CSPE carried out by IOE. Dr Nadioo’s presentation offered an opportunity to discuss what the Government and IFAD have learnt from this CSPE, and how they have learnt from this CSPE and how they have used it to prepare and implement a new country strategy from 2019 and to enhance the portfolio.  

Dr Naidoo explained that the IFAD country programme likely improved living conditions in rural areas, thanks to major investments in socio-economic infrastructure and natural resource management. The direct impact on income was linked primarily to the higher productivity and agricultural diversification, resulting from investments in irrigation, water and soil management and subsidies for arboriculture. In the South, pasture development projects had a positive impact on herd productivity and helped mitigate the impact of droughts. Improvements in the road network contributed everywhere to higher and more diversified income, due to the substantial reduction in the time and cost of moving people and goods. Significant progress was also made in terms of the rural population’s participation in the management of public infrastructure and installations.

These findings were complemented by the information that the EB members gathered first-hand during their field visits to IFAD-supported operations in the Governorates of Medenine and Kairouan. During the visits, Board representatives held discussions with beneficiaries, farmers’ groups, representatives of small and medium enterprises and local government authorities.

In the in the Governorate of Medenine, the group received a presentation of the PRODEFIL Agropastoral Value Chains Project to support women and young beneficiaries, and visited an exposition of beneficiaries’ stands. The goal of this project is to improve living conditions for vulnerable rural people and create new opportunities for employment by strengthening the resilience of agropastoral production systems. To that end, the project seeks to help public and private actors manage and develop local agropastoral value chains, including those for camelids and small ruminants.

In the Governorate of Kairouan, the group visited the Economic, Social and Solidarity Project (IESS). The project's priority target groups are needy and low-income families on the one hand, and small-scale farmers and livestock breeders on the other. Filed visits included trips to visit a local kindergarten, income generating activities and a water tank. The group was also brief on the application of the Gender Action Learning System, which is a household methodology that helps realize gender-transformative results in IFAD’s operations. 

Following these on-the-ground visits, back in Tunis, the EB group and Dr Naidoo held discussions with high-level government authorities and key donors at the national level. Interactions included meetings with the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Water Resources and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Economy and Planning. The group also engaged with the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Tunisia, as well as with other UN Rome-based agencies.

Looking ahead, the EB representatives will report on the country visit at a future session of the Board, and in doing so will provide informed guidance on strategic and operational matters to the rest of the EB to enhance their critical oversight and strategic role.

The overall objective of the country programme for IFAD and Tunisia for the period 2019-2024 is to improve the living conditions, incomes and climate change resilience of poor rural people, particularly women and youth. It will contribute to achieving several SDGs, in particular SDG1 (no poverty), SDG2 (zero hunger), SDG5 (gender equality) and SDG13 (combating climate change).

For further information, please contact Alexander Voccia [here]

• To access the presentation delivered by Dr Naidoo, please click here.
• To access the full Tunisia Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation report, please click here.