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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.

Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is a worldwide popular horticultural crop. Interest in assessing bioactive compounds with potential health benefits in artichoke is increasing. Therefore, in this study, the variability in total phenolic and flavonoid contents of six artichoke cultivars, including five purple namely Brindisie, Opal, Conserto, Romanesco and Rouge de France as well as an ordinary white artichoke variety were investigated. The results showed significant differences in total phenolic and flavonoid contents between artichoke cultivars. Total phenolic content ranged from 17.31 mg GAE/ g DW in the white artichoke variety to 21.31 mg GAE/g DW in Romanesco. Flavonoid content ranged from 4.51 mg RE/g DW in white artichoke to 7.06 mg RE/g DW in Rouge de France. Therefore, the highest total phenolic content was shown by Romanesco. However, the highest flavonoid content was recorded for both Opal and Rouge de France. This study demonstrates the importance of genotypic variability in shaping the levels of total phenolic and flavonoid, emphasizing the need to evaluate artichoke biodiversity in order to improve its nutritional value and to contribute towards increasing the intake of antioxidants.

Postharvest storage conditions frequently affect nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables. Temperature and storage duration are the most important factors to extend shelf life and maintain quality of fresh watermelon. This study was conducted to determine the changes in the antioxidant properties of watermelon during storage. Fruits of the watermelon cultivars were harvested and stored at 5ºC for a period of 15 days. During storage antioxidant contents (lycopene and total phenolics) and total antioxidant activity were evaluated. The objective of this work was to determine the content of the antioxidant properties in different watermelon genotypes at four different postharvest storage periods (0, 5, 10 and 15 days). Furthermore, the nutritional quality is strongly influenced by the storage period. The cv Mahdia was the most suitable for extended storage periods.

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.

Growing conditions and seasonal fluctuations are critical factors affecting fruit and vegetable nutritional quality. The effects of two partially overlapping cropping seasons, early (ECS; January–May) and full (FCS; March–July), on the main carpometric traits and bioactive components of different watermelon fruits were investigated in the open field. Four watermelon genotypes, comprising of three commercial cultivars ‘Crimson Sweet’, ‘Dumara’, ‘Giza’, and the novel hybrid ‘P503 F1’, were compared. The carpometric traits varied significantly between genotypes. Soluble solids and yield were higher under FCS than ECS. The variation affecting colour indexes between the two growing seasons exhibited a genotype-dependent trend. The antioxidant components and radical scavenging activity of watermelon fruits were also significantly affected by differences in received solar energy and temperature fluctuations during the trial period. The average citrulline, total phenolics and flavonoid contents were 93%, 71% and 40% higher in FCS than in ECS. A genotype-dependent variation trend was also observed for lycopene and total vitamin C between cropping seasons. The hydrophilic and lipophilic radical scavenging activities of the pulp of ripe watermelon fruits of the different genotypes investigated varied between 243.16 and 425.31 µmol Trolox Equivalent (TE) of 100 g−1 of fresh weight (fw) and from 232.71 to 341.67 µmol TE of 100 g−1 fw in FCS and ECS, respectively. Our results, although preliminary, show that the functional quality of watermelon fruits is drastically altered depending on the environmental conditions that characterize the ECS and LCS.

In Tunisia, the development of the irrigated cereal sector plays a key role in the mitigation of the fluctuation of the rainfed production and to ensure a minimum of production. However, the archived yields remain under the expected potential performance, and the water productivity is very low. Hence, this work aims to investigate the performance of the irrigated durum wheat activity and to identify eventual determinants to improve the water productivity. To reach the objective, a field survey was carried out with a sample of 555 farmers. We adopted a data envelopment analysis approach to assess the technical efficiency and water use efficiency. A Tobit model was estimated to identify determinants of the technical performance. The results showed that the technical efficiency reached only 63%, which meant that farmers could increase the durum wheat yield from 3.5 tha−1 to 4.8 tha−1. The water use efficiency reached only 30%, which translates to an unwise use of the water resource. The results also showed an eventual improvement of the water productivity by more importantly saving the irrigation water rather than optimizing the production. To improve the performances, the results revealed some key determinants that could be taken into account by policy makers to implement appropriate strategies.

Economic profitability of the dairy production in Tunisia: case of Gouvernorats of Ariana and Mahdia. Dairy production profitability was confirmed in Tunisia under the input and output prices of 2002. This activity ensures a mean dairy production equal to 4690 l, a gross-margin and a profit per cow respectively equal to 641 TND and 127 TND per year. The production cost is equal to 0,339 TND/l. Analyses simulation show that an increase of concentrate price by 20% can reduce the gross-margin and increase milk production cost by 20% and 8% respectively. Within that situation, dairy production is not profitable in Tunisia. Also, simulation analyses showed that a reduction of irrigation water price by 50% had a positive effect on a profitability particularly of the integrated and semi-integrated systems even with a parallel increase of concentrate price by 20%. A comparison of milk production cost to its economic price of importation, indicates that dairy production is profitable only with present custom protection and with an irrigation water price subsidy. Without border protection, dairy production is not profitable in Tunisia even under the best favorable hypothesis about water and concentrate prices.