Irrigation scheme helps boost economy of Tunisian town

Mar 24, 2016 Farms in Tunisia are recently employing a new irrigation system to help boost the production of figs and other crops in the region.

The programme, which is run by ILO, is aimed at supporting the development of disadvantaged areas by stimulating local economic activity.

Mohamed Ali Belgacem, who studied food sciences at a local institution, recently returned to the village to plant a hundred fig trees on his family’s land.

Commenting on his initial bottleneck, Belgacem said:

“One of the problems I had was water. Lots of water was lost. Since the system’s installation we’ve lost less water.”

The ILO programme also provided equipment to process the figs and other fruit into value-added products like jam.

Tliba Hana, another beneficiary of the ILO programme, spoke of the programme saying:

“We were trained in jam-making. Then we received training in management and accounting. With what I’ve learned, I can either develop my own business or stay with the association,”