Boubaker Dhehibi

• Ph.D
• Economist at International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas

This research aims to assess the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) of the whole agricultural sector in Egypt for the period 1961-2012 using Törnqvist index calculations. Particularly, it aims to investigate: (1) the most important factors explaining the TFP growth in the Egyptian agriculture (2) estimating changes in technical efficiency and technica...

The rapid expansion of unconventional oil and gas development in the oil-gas-mineral (OGM) states has been controversial because of numerous environmental and social impacts. OGM industries have existed on rangelands for many years with various impacts depending upon the scope of operations and level of professional management (Walsh and Rose 2022;...

Olive cultivation struggles with climate change, resource degradation, and price volatility. Agroecology is considered as the mainstream model for transforming agriculture toward sustainable agri-food systems within the given economic and political context. This study aims to conduct an agroecological assessment of the current business model of the...

This study evaluates the forecasting performance of six advanced Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) architectures-Vanilla LSTM, Stacked LSTM, Bidirectional LSTM, Attention LSTM, Conv-LSTM, and LSTM-CNN Hybrid-on cereal price prediction , focusing on wheat, barley, maize, and rice under both regular and crisis market conditions. Leveraging normalized mon...

Purpose This study was conducted in four semi-arid regions in Tunisia – Kef, Siliana, Zaghouan and Kairouan – which have a similar agroecological system based on crop–livestock integration and experience serious soil erosion. The study objective is to estimate the technical efficiency of farmers engaged in mixed crop–livestock systems under conserv...

A major challenge for countries dealing with conflict and instability is encouraging the use of farming technologies and natural resource management practices that are climate-smart. These practices boost productivity, build resilience to climate challenges and thus contribute to other dimensions of resilience such as those associated with conflict...

Since the independence, Algerian pattern of food consumption has experienced radical and profound changes. In order to study the response of food demand dynamics, a differential Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) has been estimated, which better explains consumers’ food structure in Algeria. The study is based on a time series of prices and calculat...

Date palms are one of the most important fruit trees in the agricultural system in the Kingdom of Bahrain throughout history and to this day. Bahrain is known as the "country of a million palm trees" due to the large number of palm trees that characterized the orchards until the discovery of oil, which then began to decline due to the economic boom...

This study analyzed the date palm value chain in the Kingdom of Bahrain and evaluated the trends of date production and productivity in the country. The findings highlight the need for a strategy to increase competitiveness and prioritize actions for the growth of the date value chain. To enhance the date palm value chain in the Kingdom of Bahrai...

Integration of productivity, resource management, and institutional innovations is crucial across different system levels. Traditional research and extension services face challenges in disseminating innovations effectively, leading to the emergence of the agricultural innovation system (AIS) approach. AIS involves collaboration among various stake...

This study assesses the value chain and competitive advantage of the Qatari date palm sector within the international market. The first part of the study focuses on development strategies to improve the value chain in the State of Qatar. A "strengths, weaknesses , opportunities, and threats" (SWOT) analysis was used to explore challenges and opport...

In most desert ecosystems of the Arabian Peninsula Region (APRP), vegetable production is carried out under controlled environment structures covered with polycarbonate sheets and inbuilt evaporative cooling systems. The areas with mild winter, polycarbonate cover and evaporative cooling are not required. The former can be replaced by insect proof...

This report aims to identify and prioritize potential local value chains for integration of agroecological principles in Northwest Tunisia, particularly in Kef region. Based on the secondary data, a rapid value chain analysis, four focus group discussions at the living labs and participatory approach with the main stakeholders, three value chains w...

Global food systems face sustainability challenges like undernourishment, inequity, resource degradation, and pollution. Food production and consumption drive environmental change with greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, and land-system shifts. The climate change crisis has intensified concerns about the ecological impact of these systems....

The specificity of meat consumption in Algeria is that it is omnipresent in the consumer bundle, maintaining a nearly constant share over time, highlighting its significance in the country's dietary habits. To analyze the dynamics of meat demand, a Differential Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) model is employed, which offers a comprehensive unders...

In Tunisia, agriculture is the main source of livelihood for more than 75% of small and subsistence farmers with minimal use of technology. The use of information and communication technology (ICT),such as mobile applications, represents a pertinent opportunity for these smallholders to access agricultural innovation and market information and impr...

nnovation platforms (IPs) can provide a multidisciplinary research environment to test outcome-oriented research/ scientific ideas, technologies, and innovations. These are particularly effective when agrifood challenges require cross-sectoral solutions and joint efforts of stakeholders who have a stake in both the problem and solution. IPs allow s...

This manual provide a framework on the use of Kaleidoscope Model (KM) to analyze policy and institutional constraints and key drivers of agrifood policy change inCWANA. This research is being implemented by a team of researchers from CGIAR research centers ICARDA, IFPRI, and IWMI and in collaboration with international and national partners across...

in 1975, provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI's strategic research aims to foster a climate-resilient and sustainable food supply; promote healthy diets and nutrition for all; build inclusive and efficient markets, trade systems, and food industries; transform agricultural and...

The dairy sector in Tunisia is based on small-scale farms, with 81% of the breeders owning less than five cows. On these farms, milk is stored in plastic containers, resulting in post-production losses estimated at 10% in the studied region. Due to high temperatures, the present paper aims to study the implementation of an innovative solar-powered...

This policy brief concerns the importance of adapting the micro rainwater harvesting (MIRWH) in the olive farming system in Palestine. It combines existing knowledge of the olive farming system in Palestine with the proven technology of the MIRWH. The policy brief builds on the analysis of the economic and financial viability of the MIRWH as an inn...

This Research for Development Brief (R4D) aimed to investigate the trade-offs and synergies between the rehabilitation of the marginal dryland ecosystem (uplands), a sustainable community-based resource management and the irrigated production system in the downstream Jordan Valley.

The objective of this paper is to examine the resilience of households to food insecurity and to identify the determinants of this resilience in two study areas: Kairouan and Zaghouan. The study relied on a cross-sectional database collected from 671 smallholder farmers. Multivariate techniques including factor analysis and linear regression models...

This paper analyzes the complex relationships of factors influencing rangeland governance in the arid areas. A Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) model was developed in a participatory way to illustrate and assess the weight of a combination of environmental, social and institutional factors enabling the achievement of strengthened rangeland governance...

This policy brief documents the major constraints lentil growers have faced in adopting ICARDA’s improved lentil varieties, and increasing their knowledge, skills, and good practices in West Bengal, India. It also outlines suitable policy recommendations and identifies strategic actions to enhance the adoption and scalability of ICARDA’s improved l...

The aim of this paper is twofold. The first objective is to measure the technical efficiency of mixed crop-livestock (CL) smallholder producers operating under conservation agriculture systems in Tunisian rainfed areas. The second objective is to explore complementarities, synergies, and economies of diversification across the different production...

The objective of this study is to evaluate the technical efficiency of farmers engaged in mixed crop-livestock systems under conservation agriculture (CLCA) in Tunisian rainfed areas who are using Resource-Conserving Technologies (RCTs) such as forage mixture, minimum and zero tillage, and small machinery. These technology promotions are being carr...

Climate change exacerbated droughts by making them more frequent that increased risks of food insecurity faced by rural families in arid areas. Adopting coping mechanisms are necessary to reduce the vulnerability of rural agricultural communities and enhance their resilience to climate change. The main objectives of this paper are i) to assess effe...

The aim of this R4D Initiatives is to explore the profitability of manufactured feed pellets for small-scale crop-livestock farmers in Tunisia. During the past few growing seasons, within several R4D initiatives and projects (the SWC@Scale as part of the global GIZ ProSol Program; the CRP-Livestock “feed and forages”, and the International Fund fo...

The evidence on conflicts around the world since the turn of the century points to a simple conclusion: conflicts, grievances and insecurities are increasingly being affected by changing climates, environmental degradation, food insecurity, and the struggle to control a finite pool of natural resources. This paper aims to understand the linkages be...

This study aims to determine the expected level and time to peak at the maximum level of adoption of spineless cactus (SC) technology introduced in the State of Qatar, to investigate the factors influencing adoption of this technology, and to identify the main constraints affecting its wide adoption with particular focus on perceived perceptions of...

This study evaluates the irrigation water volumes' effect on the date palm productivity and water use efficiency under several conventional and improved irrigation systems (surface, subsurface, bubbler, subsurface drip irrigation). The study is focusing on Oman and Saudi Arabia. Data on the water requirement, temperature, and evapotranspiration has...

The study aimed to assess the rate of adoption of silvo-pastoral practices and identify main constraints that limit their adoption in Rajasthan, India using adoption and diffusion outcome prediction tool (ADOPT) in 2015-16. Focus group discussions (FGDs) involving farmers and technicians/researchers focused on discussing four categories of influenc...

Introduction In Tunisia, small-scale agriculture represents more than 75% of the total agricultural land. The dairy sector is based on smallscale farmers with less than 5 cows. These units are often off the electrical grid and collecting milk from them is hindered by the lack of hygienically standards due to the absence of cooling systems. Thus, it...

This paper considers the vision of how to develop an efficient value chain and development strategies to improve the value chain in Oman. The main key factors of inclusive and sustainable development of the date value chain are determined to carry out the appropriate actions for improving the date palm sector in Oman. To explore the challenges and...

This study aims to analyse Tunisian farmers’ ability to pay (ATP) in a citrus area and propose a penalising price strategy based on the block-pricing process to decrease over-irrigation without affecting farmers’ incomes. The methodology is based on the residual imputation approach to determine farmers’ ATP, a stochastic production frontier to esti...

Low and slow adoption of innovative technologies among smallholder farmers in Tunisia is a key agricultural development problem partly related to the existing technology transfer approach used in the country. The objective of this study is to analyse how to design innovative technology transfer strategies more effective in terms of increasing femal...

Rangelands are the main land use in the Arabian Peninsula and cover about 50% of total area. They are under continuous heavy grazing pressure due to underlying social and economic causes as well as institutional effects. ICARDA in collaboration with the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) has developed and introduced different rehabilitat...

Increasingly frequent droughts, declining soil fertility, and poor plant-animal-atmosphere interactions are threatening the sustainability of integrated crop-livestock systems in the rainfed drylands of North Africa. Previous research from around the globe has verified that better integration of crop and livestock activities within agricultural pro...

Consumer awareness about dairy quality increased in the last years, specifically after recent food incidents worldwide (aflatoxin contamination in Europe, 2013, E. coli outbreak in the USA, 2015). In Tunisia, food security and sustainability are at the center of agricultural and food strategies. Therefore, data collected from a face-to-face survey...

This book applies a gender lens to examine the implications of climate change for livelihoods in vulnerable states. The goals are to enhance awareness of climate change as a gender issue, and to highlight the importance of gender in identifying livelihood vulnerabilities and in designing more robust climate adaptation measures, especially in climat...

Social and economic development depends on the sustainable management of natural resources to withstand shocks of climate change and reliably support livelihoods. In this context, extension and advisory services are critical for raising awareness and transferring knowledge to reduce farmers’ vulnerabilities. This study critically examines the nexus...

The objective of this study was to measure the efficiency level of Water Users Associations (WUAs) in the coastal oases of Gabès (Southeastern Tunisia) and to assess its main determinants. First, an input-orient�ed data envelopment analysis (DEA) was used to measure the relative efficiency scores of WUAs and to evaluate the management and mainten...

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of the adoption of a new technological package on smallholders' income in the durum wheat-based production system in northwestern Tunisia starting in the cropping year 2014-2015. A sample of 106 farmers was selected; half of them (53) practiced a recommended technological package while the other...

The objective of this paper is to identify prospects for stakeholder cooperation for effective implementation of enhanced rangeland restoration techniques under different land tenure status in Tataouine Governorate of southern Tunisia, through the rest technique locally called “Gdel.” This technique consists of leaving a given rangeland at rest to...

When water scarcity restricts agricultural production, expanding water resources is only one option to increase or maintain output; investments in research to raise productivity can also release constraints on growth. In this paper, we construct a model of optimal resource allocation with both public and private inputs in production—the public sect...

"The objective of this paper is to analyse the olive oil value chain (OVC) in the Governorate of Medenine (south-east of Tunisia) and the relationships between its main operators for an effective involvement and better performance and resilience of olive sector. Based on semi structured interviews and participatory multi-stakeholders’ workshops, OV...

Background Water scarcity restricts agro-pastoral farming systems, and thus the development and economic growth of arid environments' communities, which face several challenges that are interconnected with water scarcity including land degradation, low productivity, and food insecurity. Providing sustainable water harvesting technique (WHT) is one...

When water scarcity restricts agricultural production, expanding water resources is only one option to increase or maintain output; investments in research to raise land and water productivity can also release constraints on growth. This Policy Brief draws lessons from a recent study 1 of long-term growth in Egyptian agriculture over 1961-2016. The...

Literature is scanty on how public agricultural investments can help reducing the impact of future challenges such as climate change and population pressure on national economies. The objective of this study is to assess the medium and long-term effects of alternative agricultural research and development investment scenarios on male and female emp...

The objective of this research study was to assess the sources of information on two improved agricultural and livestock technologies (barley variety and feed blocks) as well as the efficacy of numerous agricultural technology diffusion means introduced in the livestock–barley system in semi-arid Tunisia. The research used primary data collected fr...

This article develops new estimates of historical agricultural productivity growth in Jordan. It investigates how public policies such as agricultural research, investment in irrigation capital, and water pricing have contributed to agricultural productivity growth. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) annual time series from 1961 to 2011 of...

Despite the efforts to enhance adoption of innovative technologies (IT) by the Tunisian Government through national and/or international development projects, the potential rate of adoption of these technologies has remained low among farmers. This study aims at shedding some light on the potential factors that influence IT adoption in the Tunisian...

Mechanized raised-bed technology (MRBT) is recognized as an important measure to achieve higher crop productivity and water-use efficiency in intensive irrigated systems. Development efforts on spreading this technology require adequate understanding of the qualities and drivers of farmers’ adoption of MRBT. Research in agricultural innovation adop...

Like other common natural resources, rangelands require infrastructural, national-level support from institutions and organizations to ensure their effective sustainable management and use. National-level frameworks empower stakeholders to develop, implement, and control rangeland management and restoration strategies; however, appropriate rangelan...

This paper aimed at the socioeconomic appraisal of two cropping systems namely no-till and tilled wheat in Sétif region (Algeria). The study based on a sample of 28 adherent farms in an international project of Conservation Agriculture adoption for smallholders in North Africa. Economic diagnosis showed that no-till system performed best with a gro...

Production of potato consider the main source of income of most farmers in Abo Graib district, and with scarcity of water there is necessity to finding alternatives working to saving irrigation water to increasing the productivity of potato. The study aims to knowing the influencing factors of adoption sub- surface drip irrigation technique and for...

Due to the decrease of household incomes, the increase of food prices, and the negative effects of climate change on agricultural production, Tunisia faces a food insecurity challenge, especially in rural and arid areas. The purpose of our research is to understand and explore household resilience to food insecurity in two villages, Selta and Zoghm...

Due to the decrease of household incomes, the increase of food prices, and the negative effects of climate change on agricultural production, Tunisia faces a food insecurity challenge, especially in rural and arid areas. The purpose of our research is to understand and explore household resilience to food insecurity in two villages, Selta and Zoghm...

Due to the decrease of household incomes, the increase of food prices, and the negative effects of climate change on agricultural production, Tunisia faces a food insecurity challenge, especially in rural and arid areas. The purpose of our research is to understand and explore household resilience to food insecurity in two villages, Selta and Zoghm...

The technological advancements in agriculture have resulted in higher yields but lower ecological efficiency and nutritional value. Little innovations in later sectors such as integrating ecological functions in the production systems have crippled our agro-ecosystems to meet the ever-growing demands. The digitization of the agro-ecosystems has bec...

This study aimed at characterizing the livelihood of communities in term of their assets and opportunities and identifying and describing the corresponding market segment(s), as well as devising a suitable marketing strategy that would ultimately lead to more effective community engagement. A socioeconomic questionnaire was designed to elicit basic...

This study aimed at characterizing the livelihood of communities in term of their assets and opportunities and identifying and describing the corresponding market segment(s), as well as devising a suitable marketing strategy that would ultimately lead to more effective community engagement. A socioeconomic questionnaire was designed to elicit basic...

This study aimed at characterizing the livelihood of communities in term of their assets and opportunities and identifying and describing the corresponding market segment(s), as well as devising a suitable marketing strategy that would ultimately lead to more effective community engagement. A socioeconomic questionnaire was designed to elicit basic...

In order to develop a sustainable date palm production system in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of the Arabian Peninsula, an analysis of the date value chain in these countries was undertaken. Through the mapping of the chain, the overall objective was to identify the processes where values are created and how they are distributed amo...

This paper aims to present results of a socioeconomic investigation into factors affecting the adoption of mechanized raised bed (MRB) technology in wheat production in Sharkia Governorate of Egypt. The sample consists of 70 wheat farming households, of which 50% had adopted the technology. One dependent and fourteen explanatory variables were sele...

This study set out to investigate the impact of salinity on technical efficiency (TE) and environmental efficiency (EE) in wheat production in central Iraq, where 360 farmers have been interviewed and soil and water samples were collected and analyzed. This study aims to consider how farmers could re- allocate their resources in efficient and su...

We investigate the factors that affect total factor productivity growth in MENA countries. To this end, we start first by examining levels and trends in agricultural outputs and productivity growth using Torqnovist Indexes and then computing Malmquist Indexes for three MENA countries representing three different agro-ecological areas; irrigated (Eg...

The aim of this research paper is to assess the adoption level of the two technologies (liquid pollination and polycarbonate drying houses) in the Sultanate of Oman with emphasis on identifying influencing factors of the adoption process and exploring resulting policy implications. The methodological framework used is based on the implementation of...

The Tunisian government is facing many challenges in delivering effective extension services to communities across the different regions within the country. Therefore, in the face of declining natural resources linked to overutilization, population growth and climate change, national extension services need to review their priorities and reform the...

This document is designed to help researchers apply RCTs so they can gain a more accurate insight into the impacts of different extension strategies in different locations. It provides information on the benefits of an RCT approach in comparison to other impact evaluation models; provides a step-by-step implementation guide and a framework to avoid ch...

Mechanized raised-bed technology (MRBT) has been recognized as an important component of integrated water management to achieve higher productivity in intensive irrigated systems, such as those found in the Nile Delta. Effective management and policies for spreading the technology at scale toward achieving system-level outcomes require adequate und...

In the frame of the ICARDA project “Development of sustainable date palm production systems in the GCC countries of the Arabian Peninsula”, researchers succeeded to introduce one promising technology (subsurface drip irrigation - SDI) in the date palm farming system in the Gulf region, defined as the poorest in the word in terms of water resources....

Soil and water conservation technologies (SWCT) are important to farmers, to the research community, as well as to the policy makers, given that declining soil health, and increasing erosion and moisture stress have implications for agricultural livelihoods, national food security, and more generally for wellbeing within rural communities. Yet, des...

Conservation agriculture is a concept, which defines different farming systems. Its implementation depends on soil properties, climate and socio-economic considerations. Since two thousands, no-till technology; which is one facet of the conservation agriculture has begun to take place in the high plains of Sétif province-Algeria. Its adoption is fa...

Mohammed.ABDULRADH@uqconnect.edu.au; usamakadhim@yahoo.comB.Dhehibi@cgiar.orgK.Shideed@CGIAR.ORG ; ABSTRACT A stochastic frontier approach is used for analyzing of the environmental impacts of soil salinity in Iraq. An econometric method based on the neoclassical production theory (stochastic frontier analysis) is transformed to enable the definiti...

The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of salinity on resource use efficiency in wheat production in central Iraq using a cross-sectional database of 270 farmers. A parametric approach used to estimate a frontier of production. Stochastic Frontier analysis (SFA) is proposed for analysis resources use efficiency in irrigated wheat...

Shrinking water resources as potential result of climate change creates a challenging trade off situation in the north of Tunisia. This study provides valuable insights into the conditions that can promote farmers' acceptance of regulated deficit irrigation and a new water pricing policy to address climate change impacts on the semi-arid irrigated...

Pollination of date palm is normally carried out by hand in almost all date palm groves in Oman. Farmers mostly use various hand pollination techniques. Dry pollination is used utilizing hand and motorized dusters with no negative effect on fruit yield. However, larger pollen volumes are used with the dusters and uneven distribution of pollen grain...

In the GCC countries, date-palm sector is strategically important for the economic, social and environmental development. Therefore, markets globalization has had a huge impact on the comparative advantages of date exports from the GCC countries, highlighting a new range of necessary determinants for competitiveness of these countries on the intern...

The aim of this research paper is to assess the adoption level of the two technologies (liquid pollination and polycarbonate drying houses) developed by the date palm project in the Sultanate of Oman. The methodological framework used is based on the implementation of the ADOPT (Adoption and Diffusion Outcome Prediction Tool) tool in two localities...