Agroecological Transition in the Kébili Oasis: Insights from the NATAE Field School
Sawsen Ayadi*, Salma Jallouli, Mokhtar Baraket, Haïfa Benmoussa, Inès Zouari, Wafa Koussani, Wala Jlassi, Samar Saidani, Zoubeir Chamekh, Youssef Trifa and Mehdi Ben Mimoun
ABSTRACT
Context, Research Problem, Practical and Theoretical Background
Traditional agroecological systems form critical infrastructure for ecological resilience and rural livelihood sustainability in arid environments amid accelerating climate change and variability, embedding generations of knowledge on resource management, biodiversity conservation, and adaptive strategies honed through interaction with complex arid ecosystems [1,2]. Yet, these systems face mounting threats from agricultural intensification, groundwater overexploitation, soil degradation, demographic shifts, and climatedriven water scarcity [3,4]. The Kebili Oasis in southwestern Tunisia (33°42′N, 6°38′E), spanning 22,450 km² with 170,402 inhabitants, exemplifies this dynamic as a pastoral-oasis system sustained by the Terminal Complex (CT) and Continental Intercalary (CI) aquifers, vital yet finite resources vulnerable to intensified extraction [5,6]. Its traditional three-strata polyculture date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in the upper layer, fruit trees and vegetation in the middle, and market gardens with herbs below optimizes scarce water through complementary root zones and transpiration, while preserving soil organic matter via continuous cover and upholding agrobiodiversity for household food security and income [1,2]. This equilibrium now frays under interacting stressors: monoculture-driven intensification with heavy inputs, salinization and organic matter loss, hydrological imbalances from overexploitation, urban land conversion, and climate exacerbated aridity via higher temperatures, erratic rains, and elevated evaporation. This study bridges a key knowledge-action gap: despite broad recognition of traditional agroecology's value, pathways to bolster it against change lack practical support from policy and institutions. The research frames three linked challenges ecological sustainability, knowledge integration prioritizing inclusion of youth, women, and cooperatives often sidelined in decisions and governance reform. The Kebili Replication Lab (RL) tackles these through participatory action research: field diagnosis of practices and knowledge, capacity-building workshops, co-design for water management, crop diversification, and product valorization, iterative field-tested feedback, and governance experiments aligning farmers, cooperatives, water associations, government, markets, and civil society
