Master’s Excursion to Tunisia: Sustainable Agriculture Amid Climate Change and Food Sovereignty

From May 30 to June 7, 2026, the Section of International Agricultural Policy and Environmental Governance organized a master's excursion to Tunisia as part of the module “Sustainable Agricultural Practices in the Mediterranean Region”. We gained insight into rangeland management, agro-ecological farming systems, breeding research, and the organic agricultural production sector in Tunisia. We also visited GIZ Tunisia, the National Genebank, and organic production sites. These visits provided us with insights into how sustainable agriculture is practiced on the ground from natural science and international development project perspectives, as well as the social science perspective on the difficulties they face. The trip also provided insight into the conflict between export-oriented agriculture and local food sovereignty, as well as the various interpretations and implementations of agroecology. While visiting farming sites in this semi-arid country, we witnessed the water scarcity issues that Mediterranean regions face due to climate change. 

We also had fruitful exchanges with our partner universities and research institutes in Tunisia, including ESA Mograne, INAT, the University of Carthage, and the University of Sousse. These exchanges broadened our understanding of the development of sustainable agricultural practices in Tunisia. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with our colleagues there. 

We are grateful for the financial support from DAAD PROMOS and the Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences.