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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.

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.

Groundwater resources are a crucial driver of development. Since the 1970s, the expansion of irrigated land on the margins of the existing ‘traditional’ oases has been encouraged by the Tunisian authorities to enhance local development. As a result, oases in Southern Tunisia are currently facing sustainability concerns. This situation requires alternative water management approaches, in which local actors collaborate and contribute to the design of new rules. To understand Tunisian oasis farmers’ perceptions of water rules and public organisations, in 2021, we conducted an online survey in Jemna, an oasis in the Kebili region in Southern Tunisia. The picture that emerged from the online survey is that farmers in extension areas have distinctive characteristics but also similarities with farmers in the traditional oasis. Both types of farmers mainly cultivate date palm (monoculture), and, like farmers in the extensions, many farmers in the traditional oasis have a private borehole. All farmers in the Jemna oasis clearly perceive the limited availability and poor quality of the groundwater resource. However, they do not believe these problems cause conflict among farmers. They consider that, to solve possible conflicts and to ensure better water management in the oasis, collaboration among farmers is more effective than changes to rules issued by existing organisations. These preliminary results, if confirmed, can have important policy implications, as the farmers’ perceptions of water rules and organisations, as well as farmers’ willingness to collaborate, are crucial for a possible new approach to water management in the oasis.

Covid-19 had a negative effect economically and socially in Tunisia, as illustrated by the highest mortality rate recorded in Africa in March 2020 and the economic growth rate estimated at -9.3% by the Central Bank of Tunisia in 2020. The main cause of this situation is the quarantine and the sudden halt of several activities resulting in the drop in domestic demand and the loss of Tunisia's main trading partners. The agricultural sector, and particularly small and family farms, forced to align with the quarantine measures since March 2020, have suffered the full impact of Covid-19. Indeed, the pandemic crisis put a strain on food supply chains: a complex network of interactions involving farmers, agricultural inputs, processing plants, retailers, and others.