Water productivity in the olive oil sector: identification of production systems, economic and environmental indicators, and sustainable practices and technologies

Abstract

A multi-stakeholder workshop was organized to establish a participatory framework for improving water productivity in Tunisia's olive oil value chain under the FAO-led Regional Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI). Bringing together researchers, policymakers, and sector experts, the workshop aimed to identify priority intervention areas, select relevant production and processing systems, define assessment indicators, and explore sustainable practices and innovative technologies. Participants confirmed the olive oil sector as the priority value chain due to its economic significance, export potential, and relative resilience to water scarcity. Key challenges identified included drought, soil and water salinization, inadequate monitoring of olive water requirements, limited technical support, and investment constraints faced by small producers. The Central-Eastern region of Tunisia was selected as the main study area, with intensive and semi-intensive irrigated olive production systems and three-phase and two-phase extraction technologies prioritized for analysis. The assessment framework will apply Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approaches, focusing primarily on water scarcity footprint, carbon footprint, and life cycle costs. The workshop also identified promising intervention pathways, including smart irrigation technologies, digital agriculture solutions, agroecological soil management practices, and circular economy approaches for olive by-product valorization. These outcomes provide a solid foundation for future data collection, scenario evaluation, and the development of evidence-based recommendations to enhance water productivity, sustainability, and resilience in Tunisia's olive oil sector.