Vast expanses of green extend across the horizon, tended by the advanced machinery that has replaced hundreds of agricultural workers. The land is watered using center-pivot irrigation systems, connected to one another in a series of canals through which water is driven by one of the biggest water pump stations in the world. A number […]
Ce texte est une revue courte de la Journée « La Parole Aux Paysan.ne.s » organisée par l’Observatoire de la Souveraineté Alimentaire et de l’Environnement À l’occasion de la Journée Mondiale Des Luttes Paysannes, l’observatoire de la souveraineté alimentaire et de l’environnement – OSAE – a organisé le 16 Avril 2019 à l’hôtel Majestic–Tunis une […]
The Tunisian government is in high-level talks to remove the last crumbling barriers protecting Tunisian agriculture. Efforts to capitalize on the ‘comparative advantage’ of Tunisia’s nearly year-round sunshine has already forced a shift toward production of fruit and vegetables for export, and increasing dependence on imports for the basic cereals that make up most Tunisian diets. As the nation’s agriculture turned to meet the demands of Europe over the last 25 years, poverty in the countryside swelled. If the changes go through, it would cement dependence on the European trading system, and decimate what is left of Tunisia’s diverse peasant agriculture.