Climate change poses significant challenges for Tunisia, raising questions about the government’s ability to provide necessary mechanisms and plans to cope with escalating droughts, rising temperatures, and shifts in seasonal patterns.
These changes are already impacting agriculture, food availability, and water resources, threatening the North African country’s food security.
Recent irregular rainfall patterns have negatively affected agricultural yields, with the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture reporting a 60% decrease in grain crops compared to usual levels.
In the 2022 season, only 2.7 million quintals of grain were harvested, a sharp decline from 7.5 million quintals in the previous season and 15 million in 2020.
Observers expect the negative impacts of climate change to intensify and accelerate in the coming years, leading to a crisis in food and agriculture.
Perim Hamada, a member of the Tunisian Farmers’ Union, told Reuters that drought, heatwaves, wildfires, and water scarcity have reduced cultivated areas and crop yields, resulting in significant financial losses for farmers. There has been more than a 50% decline in several crops due to water shortages and climatic changes.
Hamada noted that the production of fruits like oranges has fallen to 300,000 tons this season from over 500,000 tons in previous seasons. Other crops like olives, a major Tunisian export, also face significant declines, worsening the country’s food trade deficit amidst a critical economic situation.
Farmers and the Agricultural Union anticipate a meager grain harvest this year due to severe rainfall shortages.
Approximately 2.7 million Tunisian households are facing bread shortages, primarily made from hard and soft wheat. With local production dwindling, the state has no choice but to increase grain imports.
The drought has also led to scarce pastures and expensive feed, forcing many farmers to give up thousands of cows, significantly reducing milk production, which has disappeared from most stores.
This has fueled concerns among residents already struggling to access other commodities like sugar, oil, butter, and rice.
