• Initiative targets infrastructure, climate-smart farming and productivity gains
• Project to benefit 13,000 farmers and create jobs

The World Bank’s Board of Directors on March 31 approved $124 million in financing for a project to strengthen agricultural irrigation in Tunisia.

The project, titled “Water Security, Resilience and Irrigation Development Project,” will be implemented in the governorates of Jendouba, Beja, Bizerte and Siliana.

It will rehabilitate irrigation infrastructure, strengthen regional agricultural institutions and help farmers adopt climate-smart technologies and access higher-value markets.

The project is expected to benefit about 4,000 farmers through improved irrigation services and 9,000 others through extension services and product development support, the World Bank said. It is also expected to create around 3,400 permanent jobs and 7,000 temporary jobs in construction.

A 10-year government programme

No implementation timeline has been set, but the project is part of the first phase of Tunisia’s 10-year “Water Security and Resilience Program.”

The World Bank funding aims primarily to boost agricultural productivity. In a 2025 report, the Food and Agriculture Organization said irrigated land is 3.2 times more productive in value than rain-fed land, with yields averaging 76% higher.

Data from the U.N. agency show that as of 2023, nearly 433,000 hectares of agricultural land in Tunisia were irrigated, accounting for about 8% of the country’s total agricultural area.

While expanding irrigation is seen as a way to secure agricultural output, it also raises questions about water-use efficiency in a country with limited resources. According to the World Resources Institute, Tunisia receives about 400 cubic meters of water per capita per year, below the water stress threshold of 500 cubic meters.

Stéphanas Assocle