Farmer Mohamed Moncef Hamdouni, who lives in Sidi Bouzid province, central Tunisia, has been able to plant "Moringa, Quinoa and Cessabania" after the drought, which hit Tunisia for the third consecutive year, poses a threat to its crop.
Hamdouni said in a statement to the local radio "Shams Fm" that he started the experiment of planting the plant "Moringa" about two and a half years ago, "expressing his astonishment with the encouraging results achieved, especially with the speed of growth and low cost.
Hamdouni, who is also president of the Federation of Agricultural Trade Unions in Sidi Bouzid, continued his readiness to inform the farmers in different governorates of the country to generalize the experience of planting the quinoa plant.
About 75% of Tunisian lands face the threat of desertification, the most severe of which is in Tataouine governorate, where the desert has more than 90%. This has led farmer Mohamed Harrar to plant Moringa seeds from India.
"The Moringa plant is capable of adapting to various climatic conditions, as well as being one of the fastest growing plants in the world, rising to more than two meters in less than two months," Harrar told the Arab Trade Union Confederation.
The success of these experiments has contributed to the increase in demand for the cultivation of these new varieties, although it is difficult to obtain licenses to import seeds.
But a number of environmental experts warn of the impact of this trend on the quality of local crops.
"These individual initiatives represent a natural reaction to climate change affecting the agricultural sector, but the introduction of seeds from abroad, despite its contribution to enriching plant diversity, will negatively affect our genetic heritage," said Hamdi Hashad, an environmental Tunisian expert. “
Adding that the ecological diversity in Tunisia will undergo fundamental changes due to the consequences of climate change, which will disappear many plant varieties.
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