Almost six months have passed since Tunisia last had more than 500mm of rainfall, and those few drops could not save the harvests of countless farmers across the country.
Rising temperatures, longer summers and the absence of rain are increasing pressure on already depleted groundwater sources and widening what experts call “the map of thirst” for the population of the North African nation.
As the country experiences its sixth consecutive year of drought, with most dams and reservoirs almost empty, farmers feel helpless as lands they have inherited dry up, plants die and animals barely survive on the dwindling food.
About 100km away from the capital Tunis, between the Medjerda river and the Mediterranean, and against the foothills of the Khemir mountains, is the governorate of Beja, considered one of the country's major agricultural hubs.
It provides Tunisia with much of its grain needs and also houses its largest dam.
The Sidi Salem Dam, near the city of Testour, in Beja, covers 4,300 hectares and has a maximum capacity of 643 million cubic metres of water. Constructed in 1982, it supplies much of the country's drinking and irrigation water.
But now the dam sits at less than 30 per cent capacity, while the total rate of all Tunisian dams is as low as 22.5 per cent, according to the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture.
A decade ago, the sight of picturesque golden wheat and barley crops thriving across the mountainous lands brought joy to those driving from the capital.
But that has been replaced by the heartbreaking view of barren land, reminding Tunisians that hunger and thirst is looming.
Farmers' outcry
In the town of Mjez El Beb, The National met six farmers who shared the same wish – the arrival of rain clouds to signal an end to the long drought that has devastated their livelihoods.
Aymen Chaouachi, president of the farmers' union in Beja, said that in November farmers usually have their seed beds ready, but not this year.
He said bureaucratic procedures and agricultural policies set up by the state sector are making farmers’ lives even harder.
They blame authorities for not listening to them and instead seeking alternative solutions to the continuing drought crisis.
Mr Chaouachi said the state's agricultural policies, coupled with a shortage of seeds and their high price have left farmers in Beja unable to receive their quota. Meanwhile the black market is overflowing with seeds, including varieties that are better suited to the dry weather.
“We could change the seeds we use from a variety that needs 1,200mm of rainfall a month to ones that could survive with the less than the 200mm of rainfall that we now have,” he explained.
Ali Trabelsi, 63, a grain farmer for more than 50 years, told The National that at least 300 farmers growing barley and wheat would have no harvest this year.
He said not even access to drinking water is stable.
On March 31, the Ministry of Agriculture introduced a quota system for piped potable water, which meant authorities started cutting the supply to households every night.
Mr Trabelsi told The National that all they could do was pray for rain.
“This is the only livelihood we have,” he said. “We do not have salaries and some of us do not even own our land, it is mostly rented.”
Hopes die with the trees
Hatem Matousi, 58, has been cultivating olive trees, among other varieties, since the age of 15 on land once owned by his ancestors.
As his trees die, he is now faced with the harsh reality of having to sell the land to ensure his family's survival.
Just a few olive trees are still standing but, he said, without enough rain the olives fell before they ripened.
“Even worms and insects that animals such as chickens eat can no longer be found in soil because of the lack of rain,” he said as he walked through rows of dead peach, quince and almond trees.
The economic impact of drought is mostly evident when the time for harvest comes.
Dozens of workers usually fill the olive groves in November to pick the fruit, spending a month working to support their families.
Mr Matousi said at least 25 families have been left without any income since his five hectares became barren.
Animals barely surviving
Soil on the mountains surrounding Mjez El Beb is dry, yellow and cracked.
Only few animals wander on vast fields, looking for fresh grass to eat, but finding much of it dead.
“We cannot do anything, this is something that is out of our hands but it’s the only job we have so, we keep going, hoping for God to have mercy on us,” shepherd Walid Bouzidi told The National as his herd of sheep searched for food in the dry earth.
The mountain's water source, Ain Asem, used to flow down the hills for kilometres, irrigating green and fertile lands.
But it has dried up, as have the vast hills surrounding it.
Mr Bouzidi, a father-of-three, said he was tired of fighting to keep his herd alive, as feed becomes more expensive.
“You keep fighting and fighting but over what?” he said. “The day will come when you just give up.”
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
