Scoping Study on Strategic Value Chains, Food Loss and Waste and Water Productivity in Tunisia

Abstract

This scoping study investigates the critical intersections between agricultural value chains, food loss and waste (FLW), and water productivity within the context of Tunisia’s severe water scarcity and climate vulnerability. Against a backdrop of renewable water resources falling below 500 m³ per capita and projected rainfall declines, the research synthesizes academic and grey literature to align agricultural development with environmental constraints. The analytical framework integrates global value chain theory, sustainable FLW concepts, and water footprint assessment methodologies, focusing specifically on strategic sectors such as olive oil, dates, cereals, and dairy. By reviewing existing assessment methods—ranging from SWOT and MACTOR stakeholder analyses to Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and volumetric water accounting—the study evaluates how production, processing, and consumption behaviours impact resource efficiency across the country’s primary agricultural systems. The analysis reveals deep structural interdependencies where water productivity and food loss are mutually reinforcing challenges. The findings highlight that crop production accounts for the vast majority of Tunisia's national water footprint, with blue water consumption in irrigated areas frequently exceeding sustainable renewable limits. While technologies like drip irrigation and two-phase olive oil extraction offer pathways to improved physical water productivity, the report identifies a "sustainability paradox" where private irrigation efficiency increases individual farm profitability but drives collective aquifer depletion. Furthermore, the study redefines food loss and waste in the Tunisian context to include not only physical post-harvest losses caused by aging infrastructure but also systemic misalignments between production and market requirements which result in the significant wastage of embedded blue and green water. Despite the economic importance of these strategic chains, the study identifies critical knowledge gaps, including inconsistent FLW quantification methods and a lack of granular, region-specific water productivity data for non-export crops. Current research tends to treat value chains, water use, and waste in isolation, failing to capture the cascade effects where upstream production inefficiencies lead to downstream resource waste. Consequently, the study emphasizes the urgent need for integrated, multi-scale analytical frameworks that combine physical water metrics with economic value assessments. It suggests that future strategies must prioritize institutional coordination between production and processing nodes, standardize measurement protocols, and leverage virtual water concepts to reconcile national food security goals with the arid-zone limitations.