Les oasis de Tozeur et Chenini Gabès : diversité et durabilité des formes de valorisation à l'ère de la mondialisation et des crises du développement

International audience; Contradictory dynamics today characterize oasis farming in southern Tunisia. On the one side the consolidation of a corporate sector of export-oriented production of Deglet Nour dates is associated with the marginalization of a significant fraction of small farms drawing on the model of diversified oasis agriculture. On the other side, we observe the emergence of new forms of valorization of oasis resources, often linked to tourism and oriented towards meeting the demand of an essentially international clientele. Deployed by individual or associative actors, these new practices are part of efforts to preserve the environment of the oases, enhance its landscape and promote the quality and variety of its products. Based on the results of field surveys conducted with farmers, associative and institutional actors between 2011 and 2013, this paper assesses the social and economic sustainability of these emerging practices of oasis resources valorization and analyzes their implications for the territories concerned.