What is the development objective of this project?
The project development objective is to improve the reliability and efficiency of the irrigation and drainage services and strengthen market linkages for irrigated products in selected areas.
What areas will the project cover?
This project covers 6 areas, namely; Béja, Bizerte, Jendouba, Nabeul, Sfaxand Siliana
Who is the implementing agency for this project?
The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Who are the implementing agencies at the local level?
Implementation at regional level. The Commissariat Régional du Développement Agricole (Regional Office for Agricultural Development, CRDA).
How many components does this project have?
The project comprises of four (4) components:
The first component is institutional modernization. It consists of following sub-components: (i) establishment of a new irrigation management entity; and (ii) irrigation efficiency improvement.
The second component is rehabilitation and improvement works. It consists of following sub-components: (i) rehabilitation and improvement works; and (ii) common services and goods.
The third component is support to agricultural development and market access. It consists of following sub-components: (i) strengthening the capacity of producers (and producer organizations) and linking them to the market; and (ii) boosting product marketing and developing competitive value chains.
The fourth component; project management will cover: (i) the equipment cost for the unit; (ii) training of project management unit (UGO) staff; (iii) short term expertise; (iv) impact assessment studies; (v) training, communication, and expertise related to the implementation of the project’s environmental and social management framework (ESMF); and (vi) the incremental operating costs for the project at both central and regional levels.
How will this project be managed?
A Project Management Unit (Unité de Gestion par Objectif, UGO) will be set up within DGGREE to strengthen the capacity of DGGREE, DGPA and the CRDA in implementing the project. The UGO will consist of staff appointed from the MARHP. Short term experts will be mobilized to cater for other aspects of the project, notably safeguards. At regional level, the CRDA will avail their regular staff on part-time basis. In addition, and considering the expected workload, the UGO will have full time staff in the CRDA where the project activities are most substantial. The UGO will be established after the loan agreement is ratified by the Tunisian parliament and its staff appointed thereafter. In the meantime, the DGGREE and DGPA team who is already working on project preparation will keep handling project implementation.