(April 27th 2016) Italy is at the forefront of supporting the development of rural communities of the Tunisian south. The Joint Committee for the Italian Development Cooperation has recently approved a budget of €5.1million for the construction of the “integrated rural development programme in the delegations of Hazoua and Tamerza (governorate of Tozeur).” The project, boosting the expertise of the Italian Cooperation in Tunisia over the last twenty years, is part of the national strategy for improvement of people’s living conditions in areas in the south of Tunisia by combating desertification, improvement of production of irrigated perimeters of the desert and the diversification and improvement of rural population income. The intervention strategy is based on a participatory approach and on improving knowledge and skills in human resources (institutional and of civil society) that work in favour of sustainable development of rural areas. In line with the regional development priorities of the country, the initiative will focus on irrigation perimeters of the oasis delegations of Hazoua and Tamerza in Tozeur. The initiative performed by the Commissariat Régional de Développement Agricole (CRDA) of Tozeur, regional structure of the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries.
