Search

This paper explores the evolution and future perspectives of agricultural policies in Tunisia, focusing on their role in enhancing food security. The agricultural sector, while contributing around 9% to GDP and employing 16% of the active population, faces numerous challenges including water scarcity, climate change, and economic pressures from international trade. The study identifies that despite economic diversification, agriculture remains crucial for rural livelihoods and food security. Also, the paper critiques existing policies, particularly the inefficiencies in subsidies and the complexity of administrative procedures, which disadvantage small farmers. The analysis underscores the need for policy reforms aimed at improving farmers’ incomes, reducing policy costs, and enhancing efficiency. Recommendations include developing infrastructure, promoting modern agricultural technologies, and adjusting trade policies to better balance export promotion with import substitution. The study concludes that a dynamic and transparent agricultural policy, responsive to international changes and inclusive of all farmer categories, is essential for sustainable agricultural development and food security in Tunisia.

Geology, Palaeontology and History can be brought together under the auspices of biogeography, the ‘frontier’ disciplines, to guide us in the explanation of the orders and disorders of a World in perpetual movement through the theory of the ‘5 Times of the Biosphere’. The subject of Fernand Braudel’s geohistorical work, the Mediterranean sea and the Mediterranean region are like the cradle of a renewed reflection on Time and its rhythms in the light of climate change and rising salt water levels, which are accelerating at an alarming rate. This calls into question the biogeographical characteristics of the Grande Bleue or Big Blue and its shores. Global warming is thus likely to seriously weaken civilisations whose sustainability depends to a large extent, and even essentially, on the availability of water and an atmosphere that is simply breathable and physiologically bearable.

Fruit and vegetables play a crucial role in ensuring food and nutrition security, and developing more sustainable value chains in agriculture and the agri-food sector. To support a greater supply of fruit and vegetables, small farmers’ production is fundamental and needs to be integrated into stable value chains to maintain market, logistics and quality conditions. This article develops a theoretical framework based on the conditions, strategies and performances of supply chain systems, combined with the elicitation of expert opinion, to identify key variables for the specific analysis of fruit and vegetable supply chains. Empirical data was retrieved from eight supply chains in five Mediterranean countries to identify the most relevant issues related to their conditions, strategies and performances. Three different types of supply chains were included: 1) Short food supply chains, 2) Green public procurement, and 3) Exportoriented supply chains. This research made it possible to identify key indicators for the analysis of fruit and vegetable supply chain system dynamics. The variables identified in this study may contribute to prospective research for the assessment of fruit and vegetable supply chain sustainability and to the development of policies that encourage the adoption of environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible practices, thus contributing to the long-term sustainability of Mediterranean fruit and vegetables supply chains.

This study addresses the urgent need to enhance food security in Algeria, exacerbated by nearby economic and geopolitical instabilities. It investigates six critical challenges, beginning with an overview of agricultural settings in Algeria. First, it questions the prioritization of strategic sectors, compelling a thorough reevaluation. Second, it highlights ongoing rural development issues, emphasizing insufficient investments in infrastructure. Third, it addresses price stability management by reconsidering the efficacy of different storage mechanisms. Fourth, the study examines agrarian structures, advocating for a meticulous evaluation to optimize land market efficiency. Fifth, it explores irrigation water management, questioning concerns of abundance and scarcity. Lastly, it confronts climate change challenges, emphasizing the need for more resilient agricultural practices. By analyzing these fundamental aspects, this study aspires to offer insights that can inform strategic policies and public interventions, ultimately contributing to the enhancement of Algerian food security in light of current and future challenges.

Over last two decades, the research and evaluation paradigm in agri-food sector has shifted towards comprehensive perspective called sustainable food system. The heavy pressure on earth bio-capacity and massive environmental externalities, biodiversity loss, climate change impacts on agricultural supply and food security, food safety and health issues, and consumers’ cultural concern are major factors induced to change the perspective from agri-food supply chain to sustainable food system. Although the sustainable food system perspective has become important paradigm in researches and impact evaluation studies on agri-food system recently, the studies at this perspective are missing in Türkiye. The aim of this study is to fulfil this gap in literature and provide evidences for policy makers. This study evaluates the food system and agri-food policies in Türkiye consisting of the state of the agri-food sector, historical evaluation of agri-foo policy transform, climate change policies and environment, rural development measures, agri-food policy impact studies, and the performance level of sustainable food system indicators. Türkiye initiated the process of transformation of food systems in 2019 with an aim “to create sustainable, resilient and equitable food systems”. National Program for Agricultural Support Policy is announced each year as a Presidency Decision. The scope of agricultural support measures and its relative importance in GDP has not considerable changed much for over three decades. Nevertheless, it has been observed a positive development in most of the sustainable food system indicators. However, especially food and nutrition indicators have not considerable improved and it has been even worsened in some subcategories during the last decade. Although national policy agenda and documents cover the transition towards sustainable food system, monitoring-evaluation system and assessment of national agri-food policies considering sustainability dimension data and indicators is lacking.

This paper evaluates the role of wheat in Moroccan agriculture. A social accounting matrix for 2015 disaggregates soft and durum wheat, focusing on agriculture and the agri-food industry. Results show that soft and durum wheat account for 19% of agricultural product resources. Their production contributes 21% to agricultural valueadded, represents 3% of national value-added, generates 16% of agricultural wages, and 17% of agricultural capital. The industrial processing of these wheats contributes only 5% of the total value-added in the agri-food industry, generating 4.3% of labor and 5% of capital in this sector. Multiplier effects indicate that soft and durum wheat impact production activities by 2.66 and 2.6, respectively. An additional 1% injection would lead to an 84% increase in soft wheat production, a 16% rise in value-added, and a 26% increase in household income. For durum wheat, production would rise by 75%, value-added by 13%, and household income by 22%. Comparing the multiplier effects of wheat processing to production activities, the processing industry has a greater impact on production, value-added, and household income. These findings underscore the significant role of wheat in Morocco’s agricultural and agri-food sectors, highlighting its economic and social importance. The multiplier effects suggest strategic investments and policy decisions could optimize benefits from wheat production and processing activities.

The EU pre-accession economies, namely Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, rely heavily on agriculture, a key employer in rural areas. The agriculture in these countries challenges slow productivity, lack of infrastructure, and poor access to finance and markets. EU membership aspirations and the European Green Deal influence regional agricultural policies, emphasizing sustainable practices and organic farming. The need for balanced increase in production and demand, improved supply chains, and compliance with EU standards is evident. Although, the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans (GAWB) emphasizes the countries commitment to agriculture sustainable agriculture, yet implementation is inconsistent due to low level of support for agriculture and rural development in terms of environmental benefits, and for organic agriculture specifically. Developing marketing channels, financial support, and educational activities is crucial for sustainable transformation. Further research on economic viability and behavioral factors affecting environmentally linked policy adoption is necessary to inform policy interventions.

Agrifood policies shape the different stages of the agrifood sector from production to consumption. In Egypt, the agrifood system is a key player in the Egyptian economy providing jobs and income, mainly for rural and vulnerable households. Though the system in not on full potential and face several challenges. Challenges include climate change, water and land scarcity, rising population, poverty and inequality. Over the years, several agrifood policies had been implemented to overcome these challenges. Agriculture and food subsidies, land tenure and crop procurement are the main policies applied by the Egyptian economy. Instead of the drawbacks of some of the policies in the sector, Egypt succeeded in increasing agricultural production and ensuring access to food.

This study investigates the impact of ex-ante policy scenarios on conventional farmers' intentions to adopt smart farming applications and identifies influential factors. Through survey data collected from 117 conventional farmers, three scenarios (no support, cash support, credit support) were presented to determine their intention to adopt smart farming. The findings reveal that financial support significantly boosts farmers' intention to adopt these technologies. Additionally, farm income, knowledge, and inheritor positively influence adoption, while education and age hinder it. To promote the adoption of smart farming systems, we recommend providing educational programs to increase farmers' knowledge and offering financial benefits to offset the costs of purchasing and installing the systems. Our findings are relevant for developing countries, such as Türkiye, that are transitioning to smart farming and can inform policies that facilitate the adoption of smart farming systems.

Treated wastewater reuse is a valuable water source in water scarcity conditions. If its technical feasibility is largely demonstrated, less attention is paid to the economic assessment. By applying an ex-post Cost-Benefit Analysis to Ouardanine irrigation district, in eastern Tunisia, the economic feasibility of wastewater treatment and reuse in irrigation was assessed. Data on costs and benefits were evaluated throughout the lifespan of the project and four scenarios - no treatment, treatment, treatment with reuse, and treatment with reuse without considering the environmental benefits - were considered. The results prove that: the project is economically profitable for all scenarios except the first; it is still profitable with an increase in costs or a decrease of benefits up to 30%; farmers are the main beneficiaries of the project which is financially not viable for both the treatment plant company and the public body charged of the distribution of water; the affordability of the treated wastewater price depends on the cropping pattern: with increased water pricing peach growers will still have substantial benefit while olive growers will reduce significantly their benefits.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the technical efficiency of dairy cattle farms in Tizi Ouzou region as one of the main dairy basins in Algeria. To do so, a two-step analysis was applied. First, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to quantify the technical efficiency of dairy cattle farms. In the second step, a Tobit model to examine factors affecting farms’ technical efficiency is used. The analysis used cross-sectional data collected from 146 dairy cattle farmers. The study found that the average technical efficiency under VRS assumption is relatively high, suggesting that farms can reduce their inputs by an average of 17% while maintaining the same level of output. The study also highlights the crucial role that agricultural advisory system and traditional insemination play in enhancing technical efficiency. In this region, where cattle breeding is traditionally practiced on a small scale, increasing herd size can result in reduced performance. The study also recommended that agricultural policies should be adapted to local specificities and that a more supportive strategy should be adopted for small-scale family dairy farms instead of promoting the large farm model.

The objective of this paper is to identify the influencing factors of farmers’ willingness for early adoption of enhanced irrigation technologies in Tunisia. We estimate a multinomial logit model with data from 931 farmers in Central (Chebika) and Northern (Fernana) of Tunisia. Regression results reveal that early adoption is positively influenced by levels of extension service quality, trust in farmers’ associations and extension agents, farmer’s perception towards the innovation, credit access, and off-farm income. However, it is negatively affected by market access issues, risk aversion, and age. Risk, trust, and perception towards technology are important factors in driving early adoption decision. The findings imply that farmers training on water conservation technologies, financial support for innovation adoption, awareness of young farmers about the opportunities of agricultural innovation, incentives to farmers’ associations in order to improve their market access, and inclusive participatory approaches during technology generation and transfer are all accelerators of early adoption speed of innovations by farmers.

The purpose of this research is to find out how Syrians with temporary protection status in Turkey live and work, as well as how they are treated in the agriculture industry, from the point of view of Syrians. The study used a survey-based approach to collect primary data from 210 Syrian asylum seekers residing in Hatay province, which hosts a substantial population of Syrian refugees, accounting for 18% of the province's total population. The researchers employed the Simple Random Sampling Method to select the participants, ensuring a representative sample from the overall Syrian refugee population in the region. While a notable proportion of respondents (37%) reported having no major problems at their workplaces, a substantial portion (44%) faced significant challenges. These challenges encompassed issues such as low wages, heavy workloads, language barriers hindering communication, social exclusion, and a lack of access to social security benefits. The research brought attention to the vulnerable position of Syrian refugees in the labor market and the need for comprehensive measures to improve their working conditions and overall well-being.

Conservation agriculture, based on direct seeding, offers an ecological production method based on an integrated and sustainable management of mulch and soil resources. The techno-economic and environmental impacts of this production alternative are variable depending on the production system and the agroecological zone. This work aims to assess different impacts of conservation agriculture compared to conventional agriculture, using a set of agronomic, economic and environmental indicators at the scale of an experimental station. The experimental device combines a set of crop rotations, in rainfall and irrigated system under conventional and conservation agriculture. The analytical methodological framework used the tools of descriptive statistics and multidimensional analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA). Results show the added value of conservation agriculture, which has higher economic and agronomic performance and positive environmental benefits.

This study focuses on the prediction of financial distress of agricultural firms operating in the vineyards and olive crops sectors in Mediterranean countries, specifically in Portugal, Spain, and Italy, which are crucial for the production of these crops. The sample size of the study is 5,057 firms. Twelve models are presented, estimated from subsamples of combinations between countries and crops. Logistic regression is used for the estimation of these models. The accuracy of the models is evaluated, considering the importance of misclassification costs. Additionally, the areas under the ROC curves are calculated and compared in a dynamic of possible combinations between crops and countries. The study concludes that there are differences between the two sectors, as well as across countries, and suggests that dedicated models for each country or crop may improve the the models’ accuracy.

Climate-friendly smart agriculture (CSA) describes a set of interventions aimed at sustainably increasing productivity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. The aim of this study was to calculate the climate-friendly innovative technology usage indexes of sheep farms in Konya and to determine the affecting factors. Neyman allocation sampling method was used to determine the 151 sheep farms. As a result of the study, it has been determined that 5.96% of the enterprises are low level, 87.42% medium level and 6.62% high level climate-friendly innovative technology users. The general average of Climate-Friendly Innovative Technology Usage Index (CFITU) of the sheep farms is 52.88% and they are medium level climatefriendly innovative technology users. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the factors influencing the level of CFITU in sheep farms. The results showed that the dependent variable was explained by 7 independent variables with a percentage of 32.5%. Providing education and financial support to farmers in the region regarding climate change perception and technology usage will enhance the level of CFITU in enterprises.

There has been an increase in the demand for agricultural products and different support programs are implemented by countries to keep a sufficient, economically active population in agriculture. The aim of this study was to examine the impacts of the Young Farmer Support Program (YFP) in Türkiye. The primary data for this study was obtained from face-to-face surveys conducted with 155 young farmers. The logit model was used to analyse the factors affecting the willingness of young farmers to continue agricultural activities. The results showed that about half of the young farmers were not satisfied with the provided support, and 23.7% of them considered exiting the agricultural sector. The results of the Logit model showed that the satisfaction from the Program, the presence of social facilities in the rural areas, crop diversity, agricultural insurance, and investments in the farms were statistically significant and had an impact on the willingness of young farmers to continue their farm activities. Diversifying and expanding the scope of support policies for young farmers could make significant contributions to keeping young farmers in the agricultural sector and rural areas.

The objective of this paper is to examine the resilience of households to food insecurity and to identify the determinants of this resilience in two study areas: Kairouan and Zaghouan. The study relied on a cross-sectional database collected from 671 smallholder farmers. Multivariate techniques including factor analysis and linear regression models were used to measure resilience and identify its determinants. The results indicate that the levels of vulnerability and resilience are different depending on the specificity of the region. In Zaghouan, 63% of agricultural households are vulnerable and 28% of households are very resilient. On the other hand, 51% of households surveyed are vulnerable in Kairouan and 42% of households are very resilient. The results reveal that the most important determinants of household resilience to food insecurity are income and access to food, ownership of assets, and access to basic services. The "climate change" negatively affect household resilience and should be further investigated in the long term. Interventions must target strategies that address the different levels of resilience reflected by the resilience estimators.

Relationship between cooperative-member is very important for cooperatives to continue their activities successfully and effectively. Effective management of cooperative depends on participation of members in the process of cooperative management. The desire to participate in the management varies according to person to person. The main purpose of this study is to determine members’ organizational trust level and examine the willingness to participate of members' into the decision making process according to organizational trust level. Interviews were conducted with142 members in Izmir. Organizational Trust Inventory (OTI) was used. Factor analysis and cluster analysis were used to divide into groups to members’ organizational trust level. It has been determined that the members in the “non-trusting” group are more willing to participate in the management. Age, education and organizational trust, etc. have affected a willingness to participate in cooperative management. Professional management is necessary in order to raise economic and social profit of members. Cooperative leaders should not ignore the opinions of its members and they should also maintain good contact with members.

The significant development of the commodification of agricultural land in developing countries these last decades, notably through tenancy practices, raises serious questions about the equity of its redistribution. Studies on the equity of land markets show contradictory findings. By analyzing the rental market in the large irrigated perimeter of Guelma, northeast Algeria, this article contributes to this debate by answering the following research question: are tenancy land markets equitable? To answer this question, we essentially surveyed a quarter of the landowners in the main agricultural zone of the perimeter (52/208) and the direct tenants of the surveyed assignors (30) in 2020. We found that in the irrigated perimeter of Guelma, the rental land market has led to (1) the exclusion from the production system of landowners with few resources and unable to provide the necessary means for cash crops that have technically considerably evolved, and (2) the spatial exclusion from good lands of small tenants, relatively inefficient and unable to keep up with large tenants in the level of their rental offer. We refer to this general dynamic as "farmer selection".

As the world population is continuously growing, agricultural practices should be done sustainably to achieve food security, nutrition, and economic success. Due to the networking, economies of scale and improved access to information, collective actions and producers' cooperatives seem to be a good instrument for acquiring, sharing and promoting such practices. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to estimate the effect of cooperative membership on the awareness and adoption of environmentally sustainable practices. We purposively selected 210 members and 166 non-members of maize cooperatives in the Southern province of Zambia. To cater for both observed and unobserved bias in the study, we adopted the propensity score matching and endogenous treatment effect models. The study results confirm that cooperative membership positively influences the awareness and adoption of sustainable environmental practices used in the study but encourages the usage of synthetic fertilizers because of the government input subsidy.

This paper investigate how cereal price volatility impacts import bill, tax revenue and foreign exchange reserves in Morocco. It uses GARCH family models to characterize the price and exchange rate volatility functions, ARDL model and Toda and Yamamoto's (1995) causality test to study respectively cointegration and causal relationship. Based on monthly data between January 1999 and December 2019, we find that 1% increase of price volatility and volatility-import leads to respectively increase the import bill by 0.07% and 16.7% on the long run. Meantime, the short-run estimates suggest that the effects of price volatility and the volatility-import level are negative meaning that the lagged value of these variables will have a positive impact on the next month's import bill. Thus, we assume that price volatility should be heavier on the import bill when the annual production is low. Our results also indicate that cereals price volatility can induce serious consequences because it directly causes an increase in the overall import bill and indirectly influences import tax revenues and foreign exchange reserves, especially when it is associated with a poor domestic harvest.

n emerging countries, information technology (IT) and access to financial services (AFS) are critical determinants determining household income. However, little is known about how IT and AFS work together to increase home wellbeing. This research aims to look into the influence of access to financial services in mediating the impact of IT on household income in Ghana. The study investigates the role of social networks as a moderator in the IT-AFS interaction. A multi-stage sampling strategy was used to collect data from 478 farmers for this study. The study discovered that having access to technology and financial services increases household income. Due to the mediation role of access to financial services, the positive impact of access to IT on household income was also proven. The variable, social network, influenced these mechanisms. This research shows how having access to technology and financial inclusion can help people get out of poverty. This work adds to the body of knowledge. The paper includes policies for ensuring IT and AFS development to improve the welfare of rural households.

The present study estimates households' resilience against food insecurity in a selected village of Qalandar Abad district in Iran. The Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis (RIMA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was used for the first time in Iran, to achieve this goal. The samples included 149 farmers randomly selected and the Data were collected through interviews. The factor analysis method was used to estimate the components of resilience, and the MIMIC method was used to estimate the latent variable of resilience. The results showed that the components of asset and adaptive capacity had a significant role in increasing the resilience of rural households in the study area. Variables such as the land area, water availability, and the yield of crops had a significant positive role in improving the asset pillar. The households head and other members' education also had a significant positive effect in improving the adaptive capacity pillar. Therefore, due to time and budget constraints in the execution of macro-policies, adopting and implementing policies that increase the above components will improve the resilience of rural households

Increasing social concern regarding the environmental impact caused by the growth of the world’s population and the need to produce food has led to terms such as sustainability and sustainable food production and consumption to become a current subject of discussion. However, consumers are yet not fully familiar with the concept of sustainability and what it actually entails. This paper uses projective techniques as the ideal methodology to overcome these limitations and analyse the meaning of sustainability for Spanish consumers. Results show that consumers associate sustainability with the environment, although when it is referred to food, other concepts such as local/proximity food and responsible consumption also emerge. Also, while consumers find a clear association between sustainability and organic production, this is not so clear when health is also involved. Finally, respondents’ lifestyles served us as a basis to identify three consumer groups with notable differences in terms of their perception of sustainability. These results point to the need for policies that promote sustainable food production and its awareness by consumers to help mitigate environmental degradation

The purpose of the study is to investigate and compare consumers' food safety perceptions in three Mediterranean countries (Greece, Italy, and Spain). A survey was carried out based on a structured questionnaire focusing on food safety-related issues concerning food characteristics, the labeling of systems implemented by food companies such as the Quality Management System and the Food Safety Management System, consumer trust in the food supply chain, and consumer illusion of food control. Information was collected from individuals located in those three countries (2,664 respondents), which share common characteristics. The results indicate that there is a significant heterogeneity in consumers' food safety perceptions in the three countries. The Spanish sample has the greatest level of trust in the supply chain in terms of food safety and the highest level of illusion of food control. The Italians evaluate the food characteristics and the QMS-FSMS's labeling higher than the Spanish and the Greeks. This multinational study brings to light the different types of food safety concerns of consumers from three Mediterranean countries.

Agricultural research in Ghana has resulted in a number of innovations targeted at increasing the productivity of small agricultural businesses. However, none of these studies has investigated the factors that influence the adoption of technological innovation in Ghanaian agriculture businesses. Hence, this study examine the factors that influence the adoption of technological innovation in Ghanaian agribusinesses. Structural equation modeling was used to examine data collected from 1526 agribusiness employees in Ghana using a convenience sampling technique and a questionnaire survey. The findings indicate that internal, and external factors have an impact on information and communication technology (ICT), and new materials and technology (NM & NT), but no or little impact on biotechnology (BT) respectively. Also, the study reveal that human capital factors have a substantial impact on ICT, BT, and NM & NT. Lastly, the findings show that ICT, BT, and NM & NT have a positive and significant impact on technological innovation. The study underscores the need for agribusinesses to focus on internal and human capital factors since they increase employees' productivity and efficiency.

The saffron growing has emerged over the last decade in Algeria and has diffused in different agroclimatic regions, especially in the M'Zab valley and its periphery in the Saharan region of the country. This study sets out to analyze the emerging saffron value chain in the M’Zab valley and suggests strategic options for strengthening its development. The analysis was based on a case study. The methodology applied the tools of value chain analysis in its positive and normative dimensions: a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches based on the triangulation of data collection methods (interviews, secondary data collection, direct observations). A participatory approach was used to make a SWOT analysis and to propose strategies for developing the value chain. The results showed that the local saffron value chain has strengths (proftabilty and quality) and opportunities (growing demand of healthy and natural products), but its performance is limited by weaknesses (producers skills, marketing) and threats (Fraud or counterfeiting related to imported saffron) mainly related to the deficiencies in the institutional environment. Recommendations are made for elaborating a national saffron export strategy and building a competitive value chain able to take advantage of the expected growth in world demand.

In recent years, despite its hostile environment and harsh climate, the wilaya of Ghardaïa has emerged as a leader in dairy production in southern Algeria. This article sought to analyze how the innovation system in the dairy sector has, positively or negatively, influenced the development of the sector in this region and identify the socio-economic factors and institutions that have contributed to it. To do so, a functional-structural approach was taken. The data used were collected from semi-directive interviews and focus groups with different stakeholders involved in the dairy milk sector. Market restructuring, but also the collective organization, which is very common in the region, were found to be the main factors positively affecting the dairy sector. In addition, lobbying by the dairies and the asymmetry of power between dairy farmers and agri-food industrialists, a lack of collaboration and interaction between actors, a lack of coordination in knowledge development, and a lack of formal financing mechanisms to invest in livestock, turned out to be the factors hindering the innovation system. Finally, although the dairy sector in Ghardaïa attracts investors from the North of Algeria, and is thus a pronounced success in economic and organizational terms, the question of its sustainability is not being considered in these southern territories.

Research on organic consumers’ preferences has been given a lot of attention in the past, analysing in detail the motives of organic food consumption across the World. Less attention has been paid to the expectations of consumers change in the context of growing complexities of sustainable agriculture. The main goal of this study is to explore how the ongoing changes of the organic sector are reflected in consumers’ perspectives of organic agriculture and their preferences for organic food quality. The study was conducted in Italy with the use of the Q-methodology with a Q-set of 44 statements and a P-set of 20 participants. Three main groups of consumers were identified: “Mainstreaming for the better good”, “Critical supporters looking for more”, “Organic intensification supporters”. Despite each ideal-typical group showing different perceptions of the future of the organic movement, they all shared similar policy implications. Three main topics of discussion emerged from the results of this study which are: the expectations of the consumers towards the future of the organic movement, the role of trust in purchasing behaviors and the importance of supporting rural development.

Since the 1970s, the Kebili region southern Tunisia has undergone significant territorial changes due to the expansion of date palm plantations based on illicit boreholes tapping the underlying deep aquifers. These private initiatives, called “extensions”, have developed on collective unfarmed areas, outside historical oases and have raised sustainability concerns. To address the groundwater sustainability, local actors need to build a joint vision of on-going dynamics. The objective of this study is: (i) to analyse the trajectories of the oasis extensions, (ii) to give an overview of the socio-economic and the environmental drivers and (iii) to assess how local actors assess these extensions. The study builds on spatial analysis, on surveys and participatory workshops with actors of the region. The development of extensions was triggered by economic factors and based on innovative ways of accessing water, land, and energy. Extensions, that were first created on lands in proximity of ancient oases then spread further-out to other areas, can be described as spontaneous. Other were developed on lands located far from ancient oases, with the support of local councils in charge of land management. Actors have identified the overexploitation of groundwater as the main threat to the sustainability of the region, but no discussion has been initiated yet on how to deal with this threat. Results derived from this study could support discussions about the future of these areas.

Oases in North Africa have undergone significant change over the past 30 years, contributing to the emergence of new issues and practices. Irrigated farms are increasingly developing outside of historical oases, in lands previously reserved for extensive livestock. This article is a contribution to the knowledge of these issues in the Toudgha Valley in south-eastern Morocco. Its objective is to analyse the heterogeneity of these expanding farms without limiting the issues to a model of land grabbing by large investors. Based on a qualitative survey of 49 farms, our results show that there are three types of farms. The first is a small farms where people move to look for housing and new work opportunities at other farms. The second is a medium farms where farmers seek to reproduce three-layered crop production and have more land than in historical oases. The last type is a large farms where investors settle and intensify their production. This typology, far from being fixed, allows us to reflect on the dynamics of these extensions.

This research aims to determine the effect of consumers' perceptions of GI on purchasing 6 intention. Data were obtained from surveys conducted with 384 consumers in Turkey. 7 Structural equation model (SEM) was used to analyze the data. According to the results, 8 62.5% of the consumers have information about foods with GI while 58.9% of the consumers 9 consume foods with GI. The SEM results indicated that food with GI perception had a 10 statistically significant and positive effect on the intention to purchase foods with GI. 11 Consumers want to buy geographically marked foods as they are "healthier", "higher quality", 12 and "more reliable”. Consumers have positive opinions about foods with GI, and are willing 13 to pay more for them. The fact consumer perceptions do not change is closely related to the 14 performance of products with GI. Monitoring the production processes of GI foods that are 15 more delicious, healthier, reliable, and ensuring the continuity in product quality will increase 16 the demand of consumers for geographically marked foods.

Due to the Syrian Civil War, many Syrians have had to flee their country and seek refuge in neighbouring countries, and they face a great deal of financial and social problems in their new countries of residence. Problems such as language barriers and hostility from the host community make it difficult for refugees to integrate into the countries which took them in, and the fact that they must become a part of the work force as a matter of priority to meet their daily needs means that they often work unskilled jobs for low wages and are not registered in any official systems. The structural properties of the agricultural sector means that it is one of the most popular work areas for Syrian migrants. This study aims to evaluate the circumstances of Syrian individuals under temporary protection status in Turkey in the agricultural sector from the perspective of farmers. To this end, a survey was conducted with 395 farmers working in the agricultural sector in the province of Gaziantep. According to the findings of the research, 61.5% of agricultural businesses in Gaziantep employ Syrian refugees. The main reason for farmers opting to employ Syrian workers under temporary protection order is low wages (78.8%). 82.9% of Syrian refugees work only during harvesting season. 92.4% work both harvesting and hoeing, while 79.2% of business owners state that employing refugees allows them to decreased their production costs. Despite the presence of legal regulations in Turkey outlining how refugees can become a part of the labour force, these haven’t prevented the prevalence of off-the-books employment. Making the necessary amendments to legal regulations regarding seasonal workers in the agricultural sector would benefit both local workers and Syrian refugees. Additionally, legislation regarding salaries would improve the living standards of refugee workers and increase their motivation to work, thus improve productivity in agricultural products.

In Tunisia, international cooperation projects in support of entrepreneurship boomed after the 2011 revolution. This paper analyses to what extent such projects have built the capacities of those involved in local entrepreneurial “ecosystems”. It analyses the main international cooperation projects supporting entrepreneurship in the Kebili and Medenine governorates (southern Tunisia) between 2011 and 2020. The activities of these projects were mapped and two workshops were conducted with actors of the local entrepreneurial ecosystems to discuss their implementation. Fourteen international cooperation projects were identified. These projects mostly focused on increasing the number of enterprises created, e.g., by supporting training, networking and sometimes funding. However, only one project provided support after creation of businesses, and few promoted a culture of entrepreneurship. Overall, these projects generally based their actions on the existing ecosystem of public actors in charge of supporting entrepreneurship. They made limited attempts to build the capacities of those actors, evaluate the functioning of local entrepreneurial ecosystems and coordinate among themselves.

In Tunisia, food security policies’ objectives are increasing production to satisfy the growing demand and reduce the food deficit rate (35% per year). Since 1980, intensive production system and government subsidies for basic commodities were used to enhance food availability. This article aims to analyze food quantitative security policy impact on Tunisian consumption model versus Mediterranean diet and to readjust policies for qualitative food security. Based on five-year National Statistics Institute surveys on household consumption from 1985 to 2015, ANOVA analysis shows the need to address rural and urban consumption separately. Three groups were identified through clustering by consumption deviation degree compared to 1985. Variables of consumption evolution were determined by linear regression: price, income, location, domestic production and a quality factor measuring the conformity degree with Mediterranean diet. In order to achieve a better adherence to Mediterranean diet, new measures and synergy should take place at several levels policy makers, producers and consumers.

Digital transformation and the digitalization of economic activity are ongoing trends profoundly shaping the global economy. Digitalization reflects digital inputs in the production process and new household and government consumption modes, investment possibilities, and financial instruments, increasingly envisaged by digital technologies and tools. This is also impacting the labour markets, on the one hand substituting machines to labour for routinized tasks and thus decreasing the demand for soft skills labour, but on the other hand, increasing the need for new professions revolving around new production and consumption modalities and digital skills. Considering these contrasting effects, it is essential to estimate the overall impact of digitalization on employment. Therefore, this study captures the impact of economic growth and digitalization on unemployment change, evaluating a modified version of Okun’s Law on a balanced panel data set for 58 countries between 2013 and 2019. The results from the estimation of a fixed-effect model show the empirical validity of Okun’s law for the sampled countries and a significant contribution of digitalization on unemployment reduction.

This paper aims to assess and to analyze the sustainability of Tunisian olive growing system. Results show two types of farms in this sector. The first one is the traditional farms. The second is the modern farms. The sustainable value method (SV_method) inspired from the "ADVANCE" approach showed that those who adopt the modern management of the olive tree are more sustainable than the traditional type. In fact, the modern group presents a positive sustainable value. However, the traditional group recorded less efficient values than the Benchmark. Indeed, its Sustainable Value is negative, which means that the farms belonging to this group are not economically viable. Therefore, the traditional mode of management and the lack of innovation threaten future farming and viability of traditional olive tree farms. Furthermore, since most of these farms are family type, the cultural utility, which explains the current existence of these farms, will be insufficient and decision-makers must enhance the adoption of new governance models.

Agricultural development in southern regions of Tunisia have often focused on a few very prominent products, such as dates and olive oil. Promoting traditional agricultural products in these regions could help foster a more resilient development trajectory. This study analyses the characteristics, development challenges and propects of Zarazi table olives in Beni Khedache (Medenine Governorate). This product is characterised by well-defined traditional production and processing practices. However, use of these olives is limited to home consumption due to a lack of market outlets. Local inhabitants and development actors have paid little attention to this product, but workshops with these actors have helped shed light on its potential, alongside discussions on possible actions to promote the development of a Zarazi table olive value chain.

The study focuses on dairy cattle farming systems and the sources of innovation for breeders in the Setif and Souk-Ahras dairy basins recognized by cereals, dairy cattle breeding and irrigated crops. A sample of 140 family farms was selected and surveyed between 2017 and 2018. A typology of livestock systems was constructed using of a PCA and AHC. The results show three groups. G1 retains 68% of breeders with small farms, combining polyculture with dairy cattle breeding; G2, 30% of breeders, the farm is medium-sized and the productive orientation is mixed farming and dairy cattle breeding; G3, made up of large grain farmers and mixed cattle breeders (milk/meat). The cattle breeds exploited are Red Holstein and Montbeliard, 74% dominant. The origin of innovation relating to breeding practices comes mainly from local socio_x0002_technical networks, whereas formal extension by public services is ineffective (0.64 %). It appears that group1 occupies the first position in terms of acquiring information on innovations, followed by G2 and 3. Socio-technical networks operate from 27 to 33% in the 3 groups. The veterinarian contributes 25% in G1 and 2; at 41% in G3.