Ali Nefzaoui

ICARDA · CRP Dryland Systems

This booklet is part of a ten-part series of technical guidelines describing best practices for managing Awassi sheep – the dominant sheep breed in several countries across the Middle East. The series is targeted at sheep farmers and milk processors, and provides practical, easy-to-follow advice on managing Awassi sheep under dryland conditions. Ef...

This booklet is part of a ten-part series of technical Guidelines describing ‘Best practices for managing Awassi sheep’ – the dominant sheep breed in several countries across the Middle East. The series is targeted at sheep farmers and milk processors, and provides practical, easy-to-follow advice on managing Awassi sheep under dryland conditions....

This booklet is part of a ten-part series of technical Guidelines describing ‘Best practices for managing Awassi sheep’ – the dominant sheep breed in several countries across the Middle East. The series is targeted at sheep farmers and milk processors, and provides practical, easy-to-follow advice on managing Awassi sheep under dryland conditions....

The FAO-ICARDA International Technical Cooperation Network on Cactus (CactusNet) was established in 1993 to support the promotion of this underutilized crop. The first edition of this book, Agro-ecology, cultivation and uses of cactus pear, was published in 1995. During the last 20 years much knowledge on cactus pear has been generated, and this is...

Silage is a technique for the conservation of green forages, using anaerobic fermentation process that develops on any moist forage high in sugars and placed in anaerobic condition. The resulting lactic fermentation is the basis for the stabilization of biomass while maintaining its nutritive value Benefits: Keeping forages for a long time while ma...

1. Préparation des parcelles L'ensilage une est technique de conservation des fourrages verts faisant appel à un processus fermentaire qui se développe sur tout fourrage humide riche en sucres et placé en condition d'anaérobiose. L'acidité lactique qui en résulte est à la base de la stabilisation de la biomasse Bénéfices: Conserver les fourrages po...

Le projet intervient dans deux zones agro-écologiques de la Tunisie. Une zone favorable avec les systèmes de production basés sur la production des céréales et de l'élevage qui couvre les gouvernorats de Kef, Jendouba et Beja et une zone moins favorable avec des systèmes agropastoraux qui couvre les gouvernorats de Kairouan, Sidi Bouzid et Kasserin...

Les blocs alimentaires: réduire les déficits alimentaires chroniques et les coûts de production

A national strategy of rangeland rehabilitation was launched by the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture in 1990 and included among others shrubs (Atriplex, Acacia) and spineless cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) plantations at large scale. This strategy is implemented by the Office of Livestock and Pasture (OEP) focusing on private rangelands and followin...

RESUME Le développement de l'élevage ovin à viande a été basé principalement sur certains maillons de la filière plutôt que sur une approche de système de production intégré. En dépit, des efforts déployés pour améliorer ce secteur, la productivité du bétail est encore faible (0,7 agneau/ brebis/ an) et la chaîne de valeur mouton est en deçà des at...

RESUME Le développement de l'élevage ovin à viande a été basé principalement sur certains maillons de la filière plutôt que sur une approche de système de production intégré. En dépit, des efforts déployés pour améliorer ce secteur, la productivité du bétail est encore faible (0,7 agneau/ brebis/ an) et la chaîne de valeur mouton est en deçà des at...

The identification of the cold tolerant Opuntia species to increase their cultivation in West Asia region where the cold winter conditions limit their adaptation is the primary yet the most critical step. The International Center for Agricultural Reserach in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) imported a total of 40 accessions of Opuntia ficus-indica from vario...

Land degradation occurs in all continents and affects the livelihoods of millions of people, including a large proportion of the poor in the drylands. Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. is a xerophytic cactus species, widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions worldwide. As most of species of the Cactacee family, O. ficus-indica exhibits Crassula...

Sustainable development of pastoral and agro-pastoral systems, dominated by collective and/or tribal ownership of rangelands, is a key issue for the West Asia and North Africa region. These two systems are located in arid and semi-arid areas and are increasingly threatened by desertification process. The policy responses to tackle this complexity h...

Option Méditerranéennes

This book aims to provide an up-to-date state-of-the-art review on various aspects of Conservation Agriculture (CA) by reviewing the past and current research from various regions of the globe so that all others interested in CA could benefit from experiences gained under different agroclimatic and socio-economic conditions across the globe. This r...

More than 400 million people in the developing world depend on dryland agriculture for their livelihoods. Dryland agriculture involves a complex combination of productive components: staple crops, vegetables, livestock, trees and fish interacting principally with rangeland, cultivated areas and watercourses. Managing risk and enhancing productivity...

Cladode ultrastructural features of two prickly and two spineless Opuntia ficus-indica cultivars were examined using environmental scanning electron and atomic force microscopies. Observations focused on cladode as well as spine and glochid surface micromorphologies. Prickly cultivars were characterized by abundant cracked epicuticular wax deposits...

This brief review highlights the role of cereal forages in dual-purpose management systems and the significance of pasture legumes in sheep production with reference to alternative feed sources such as feed blocks, cactus and shrubs in integrated crop-livestock farming. As the center of origin of wheat, barley, lentil and chickpea, and sheep and go...

This experiment was performed to evaluate the nutritive value of diets and meat quality of lamb receiving a common diet (i.e., oaten hay and concentrate) or silage containing diets. Twenty four Barbarine lambs (initial live weight 32.0±3 kg) were divided into three groups and housed in individual boxes for 79 days, then in metabolic crates for 11 d...

Livestock is still the main source of income of rural populations in the West Asian and North African (WANA) countries. However, many factors including climate change are threatening the production systems. There are considerable gaps in our knowledge of how climate change will affect livestock systems and the livelihoods of these populations. Mana...

Small ruminant production is the main source of income of farmers living in the arid and semiarid Mediterranean regions. However, the development of this sector is constrained by numerous environmental, institutional, social and economical factors. These areas are characterized by low and erratic rainfall resulting in water scarcity leading to a lo...

https://apps.icarda.org/wsInternet/wsInternet.asmx/DownloadFileToLocal?filePath=Tools_and_guidelines/Phenotypic.pdf&fileName=Phenotypic.pdf

Overgrazing and mismanagement of rangelands, climate change, drought and ‘salinisation’ of lands are threatening the sustainability of production systems and the fertility of cropping lands worldwide. This alarming situation drew the attention of policy makers, scientists and technicians and motivated them to develop feasible and sustainable strate...

Two experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of partial replacement of concentrate with 2 types of feed blocks (FB) on rumen protozoa numbers, nutrient utilization, microbial N flow to the duodenum, and milk yield and composition in goats. The concentrate included oat, corn grain, barley, soybean meal, salt, and vitamin-mineral mixture....

This Workshop was jointly organized by the Tigray Agricultural Research Institute (Mekele, Ethiopia), The Tigray Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), FAO- ICARDA CACTUSNET, International Center for Agricultural research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Swiss As...

The future of the arid and semi-arid zones of the world largely depends on the development of sustainable agricultural systems based on the choice of appropriate crops. The suitable ones are those that successfully cope with water shortage, high temperature and poor soils, and easy management to provide food and forage for the subsistence agricultu...

Cactus is a xerophytic plant and an emergent crop, which evolved commercially during the second half of the XX century. Cacti can grow in severely degraded soils, which are inadequate for other crops. Opuntia spp. have a great capacity to withstand severe dry conditions and are ideal for responding to global environmental changes. Many reasons may...

Pastoralism is a characteristic livelihood system for the whole Mediterranean basin. From Morocco to Turkey, from Sardinia to Libya, herding societies are a common feature of all countries and civilisations that have inhabited the region. Though the material and symbolic wealth of pastoral groups is an integral part to the Mediterranean livelihood...

The Cycler Support project, funded by the 6 th Framework Programme of the European Union was aimed at bringing together knowledge from different research areas, mainly from greenhouse horticulture and water management, to investigate the potential of growing food on the base of unconventional water sources. This includes on one hand the integrat...

http://www.agrecol.de/climadapt/files/LGCC_procdings.pdf

Cacti are tougher than most plants, able to survive in areas where nothing else will grow. But they have little or no value for agriculture or human livelihoods - or so people thought, until the early 1980s. Since then, a series of studies have documented the many ways in which indigenous communities have used cacti for centuries; and identified ne...

– Twelve Barbarine lambs were fed barley and soybean meal concentrate: six lambs were also supplemented with oat hay (H group), while the other six animals were supplemented with silage based on olive cake and cactus pads (S group). Lambs were slaughtered after 92 days of treatment at the age of 242 days. Intramuscular fatty acid composition was de...

The low rainfall areas (200-350 mm) of the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region are characterized by low levels of economic activity, a high incidence of land degradation and a high percentage of rural popu- lation. Agriculture accounts for nearly 30% of the total labour force in the region. Public and private sector investment in agricultural...

The chapter can be downloaded from: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0242e/a0242e00.pdf

The arid and semi-arid areas of North Africa are becoming deserts. Most of the research and development projects in these areas aim at developing alternative technologies to reduce land degradation and favour sustainable economic activities. The ‘spineless cactus-alley cropping system’ is an interesting alternative in the low rainfall areas of Nort...

The arid and semi-arid areas of North Africa are becoming deserts. Most of the research and development projects in these areas aim at developing alternative technologies to reduce land degradation and favour sustainable economic activities. The 'spineless cactus-alley cropping system' is an interesting alternative in the low rainfall areas of Nort...

This book is addressed to scientists, researchers, development specialists and policy makers who deal with natural resources and agriculture in the developing countries. It aims to (1) provide evidence of the impact of natural resource management research (NRMR) in the CGIAR; (2) establish a methodological foundation for impact assessments of NRMR;...

In the low-rainfall areas (annual average of 200-350 mm) of Maghreb and West Asia, small ruminant production is the main economic activity. Small ruminant production contributes to the rural income and national economies through the production of meat, milk, pelts, leather and wool. With the increase of small ruminant populations due to demand and...

Our objective was to determine whether experience early in life and adaptation time (up to 72 days) to tannin-rich diets affect feed intake, digestion, nitrogen balance, and growth in Barbarine lambs given tannin-containing (Acacia cyanophylla Lindl., acacia) or tannin-free (oaten hay) diets later in life. Twelve experienced lambs (live-weight, LW:...

Two trials were conducted to test the hypotheses that (i) feeding small amount of a tanniniferous shrub foliage (Acacia cyanophylla Lindl., acacia) increases the proportion of rumen undegradable protein, and consequently benefits growth performance in Barbarine lamb; and (ii) such positive effect depends on the timing of feeding tannin source (i.e....

Chopping, water sprinkling, storage under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, urea, wood ash, activated charcoal and polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG) treatments were evaluated for their efficiency in deactivating tannins in shrub foliage. In a first trial, fresh leaves of Acacia cyanophylla Lindl. (acacia) were stored after chopping or without chopping...

Three in vitro experiments and one in vivo experiment were carried out to study the effect of wood ash sources (6L wood ash solution/kg fresh plant leaves) and levels and treatment duration on the nutritive value of acacia leaves. In Experiment 1, samples of fresh (F), dried (D), or dried and ground (DG) acacia were soaked for 6h in water or acacia...

Our objective was to determine whether experience early in life and adaptation time (up to 72 days) to tannin-rich diets affect feed intake, digestion, nitrogen balance, and growth in Barbarine lambs given tannin-containing (Acacia cyanophylla Lindl., acacia) or tannin-free (oaten hay) diets later in life. Twelve experienced lambs (live-weight, LW:...

This study had three objectives: (i) estimation of biomass availability of atriplex (Atriplex nummularia Lindl.) foliage and wood (Trial 1), (ii) assessment of the effect of energy supplementation on feeding behaviour and growth performance of grazing lambs (Trial 2), and (iii) determination of in vivo digestibility of atriplex-based diets and nitr...

Compared to other cultivars, the maturity stage of "Gialla of Soliman" is later. While, the cv "Rossa" presents the best fruit quality and the cv "Gialla" has the highest rate of reblooming (% reblooming, number of flowers per cladode). In addition, significant positive correlation between the delay of treatment and the quality of fruit has been ob...

Atriplex nummularia L. foliage (atriplex) and Opuntia ficus indica f. inermis pads (cactus) have been used as alternative N and energy supplements, respectively. Twenty-four Barbarine lambs (7-month-old, 19.5±0.5kg BW) were allotted into four homogeneous groups and housed in individual crates. Each group received barley straw ad libitum and was sup...

RESUME – "Amélioration des parcours et options de gestion en milieu aride dans le Centre et le Sud de la Tunisie". Les parcours doivent affronter divers problèmes concernant leur gestion institutionnelle, sociale, économique et technique. Cet article est axé sur l'amélioration et la gestion des parcours dans les zones arides de la Tunisie. Une prof...

Four groups of four Alpine × local male goats (20-month-old), each on kermes oak (Quercus coccifera L.) foliage were used to investigate nutrient intake and utilisation, blood metabolites and clinical parameters when supplemented with polyethylene-containing and polyethylene-free feed blocks and with polyethylene glycol (PEG, molecular weight 4000)...

This paper discusses the potential use of feed blocks as alternative supplements for stall-fed and grazing small ruminants raised under harsh environments. A background on manufacturing process of these blocks and the impact of their use in livestock feeding are reported. Trends converge to indicate that hard blocks, a mixture of agro-industrial by...

Integrated barley-livestock production systems in the low rainfall areas of the Mashreq and Maghreb region (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia) were improved through the development of technological, institutional and policy options by a multidisciplinary and multi-insti- tutional team consisting of two CGIAR centres...

The West Asia/North Africa (WANA) region has winters with low and erratic rainfall; hot, dry summers; and characterized by high population growth, limited areas of arable land, harsh deserts, and limited water resources for irrigation development. The search for plant species with the ability to grow and produce in arid areas has been a permanent c...

Thirty young male sheep were given air-dried foliage of Acacia cyanophylla Lindl. ad libitum and 400 g oat hay. Animals were divided into five equal groups each of which was supplemented with either 300 g concentrate with (CPEG) or without (C) 20 g polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG) or urea-containing feedblocks with (BUPEG) or without (BU) PEG. One ot...

Twenty-five male Barbarine lambs aged approximately 150 days were divided into five groups. All the animals received 400 g/day of oat hay and Acacia cyanophylla Lindl. foliage ad libitum. Two groups also received 300 g/day of a mixture (70:30) of processed barley and wheat bran, with or without 20 g polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG), groups CPEG and C...

Two experiments have been carried out to study the effect of nitrogen supplementation on the nutritive value of spineless cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica f. inermis) based diets. In experiment 1, 18 Barbarine lambs were divided into three equal group and given freshly cut pads of cactus ad libitum. Each group was supplemented with either barley straw...

Marginal lands often represent fragile ecosystems. Ploughing and indiscriminate vegetation removal can result in large-scale degradation and destruction of vegetation cover. To reverse the desertification trend and to restore vegetation cover in such areas, appropriate integrated programs are needed for rangeland monitoring, livestock control, and...

Fodder trees and shrubs have high present-day potential value as a source of feed for domestic livestock and wildlife. Opuntia ficus indica f. inermis (spineless cactus) and to a less extent saltbushes (Atriplex nummularia and A. halimus) are widespread in the Mediterranean area, mainly in arid and semi-arid zones of Tunisia. Both plants tolerate h...

Twenty-eight Barbarine yearling lambs (4 months of age, average live weight 22.0±2.3 kg) given freshly cut Acacia cyanophylla Lindl. (acacia) foliage ad libitum supplemented with either 0.3 kg barley (B), 4.5 kg freshly cut pads of Opuntia ficus-indica f. inermis (cactus) (C), 0.3 kg barley and 1.4 kg freshly cut Atriplex nummularia L. foliage (atr...

Atriplexnummularia L. (atriplex) foliage and urea-treated straw have been used as nitrogen supplements for Barbarine lambs given Opuntiaficus-indica f. inermis (cactus) and their effects on feed intake, diet apparent digestibility, nitrogen balance and daily gain have been evaluated. Twenty-four lambs (mean live weight 19·9±2·79 kg) were randomly a...