Desire for Greener Land

Human Environment
Mixed land per household
(ha)
10,000
Implementation activities, inputs and costs
Establishment activities
1. Dyke construction
2. Plantations
3. Spillway construction
Maintenance/recurrent activities
1. Crop and trees maintenance
2. Dyke and spillway maintenance
3. Repairs
4. Tillage (against soil sealing)
SLM Technology: Jessour, Tunisia DESIRE – WOCAT 2012
Land user: Individual and common small-scale land
users, mainly men
Population density: 10-50 persons/km 2
Annual population growth: < 0.5%
Land ownership: individual, not titled
Land use rights: individual (the communal rule
applies in this region: the farmer owns the terrace (the
cropping area) and its impluvium from which the runoff
is harvested).
Water use rights: individual
Relative level of wealth: average, which represents
80% of land users; 75% of the total land area is owned
by average land users
Importance of off-farm income: > 50% of all
income: the technology is very ancient and,
therefore, all the farmers apply this technology.
The only difference is the number of the owned
Jessour. Off-farm incomes come from migration,
construction works, commerce, tourism sector,
administration or informal activities.
Access to service and infrastructure: low:
financial services; moderate: health, technical
assistance, employment, market, energy, roads &
transport, drinking water and sanitation; high:
education
Market orientation: subsistence (self-supply)
Technical drawing
Left: Cross-section of dyke (locally called tabia) and
terrace (cropping area).
The Jessour ensure the collection of both runoff
water and sediments allowing creating very deep
‘artificial’ soils (terrace) which form a very good
reservoir for water and nutrients to be used by fruit
trees and annual crops.
Right: The spillway allows the overflow to the other
Jessour downstream. It also represents the symbol
of water sharing equity between different farmers in
the same watershed. (Drawing adapted from El
Amami (1984)) (Ouessar M.)
Establishment inputs and costs per one Jessour per year
Inputs Costs (US$) % met by
land user
Labour 1200
Construction material 1000
Agricultural 800
TOTAL 3000 100*
Maintenance/recurrent inputs and costs per one Jessour per year
Inputs Costs (US$) % met by
land user
Labour 400
Construction material 300
Agricultural 200
TOTAL 900 100*
Remarks:
Found in inaccessible and even remote areas, labour is the most determining factors affecting the costs of this system. The local wage
rate is 10 US$/day.
* The technology establishment and maintenance costs met by the land users are 100% if executed on a private basis, but it can range
from 10 to 50% when the site is subject to a publicly-funded programme.
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