WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE TUNISIAN AGRIFOOD INDUSTRY AND ITS IMPACTS ON ENVIRONMENT AND ON FOOD SECURITY

Abstract

For the food-processing companies, and particularly in developing countries and transition economies such as Tunisia, good water management is becoming more challenging especially with the increase of the water prices and scarcity and its environmental impact. So, the present paper proposes an investigation of water management in food-processing industry, a diagnosis of the contribution of these companies in the flows of " virtually " exported water and their possible impacts on environment and on food security in Tunisia. Based on a survey with a sample of oil-mills and dates packaging stations and on technical-economic index cards of the main practiced cultures in Tunisia, it appears that water consumption in the agrifood industry is really marginal compared with the agriculture, but its ecological impact is crucial. Olive oil and dates exports represent 36% of the agrifood exports value, in return they contribute up to 88% of the water volume implicitly sacrificed through agrifood Tunisian exports. The impact of these exports on water resources depletion is widely counterbalanced by Tunisian agrifood imports.