The case of El-Brek, Kasserine, Tunisia

 A marginal area affected by poverty and drought  Part of Tunisia's interior, which lags behind the more prosperous coastal areas  Project “Support to the implementation of the Regional Action Program to Combat Desertification in Kasserine” developed with the objective of building resilience of affected communities  Funded by the Government, Finland and UNDP

 Integrated initiative focusing on: Enhancing livelihoods; Sustainable management of natural resources; and Empowering women  Livelihood activities agreed with local communities including: enhancing access to basic water and energy services, planting of fruit trees, and a rotational micro-credit fund  Soil conservation activities involved terracing, construction of tabias and planting of olive trees

The intervention contributed to livelihood improvement in the project area. Besides enhancing access to basic water and energy services, the project established a micro-credit rotational fund to support local livelihoods The rotational nature of the fund proved to be successful with nearly 100% reimbursement rate and the possibility to reach an ever increasing number of families and women.

 Access to irrigation water was facilitated through the construction of underground water reservoirs (fesguias) and the provision of animal-tracted cisterns.  Additionally, an exploratory study was undertaken and allowed the identification of potential water sources in the area; currently being used for developing much needed water projects.

Additionally, resources were mobilized to improve access to drinking water. Activities involves: rehabilitation of water networks and strengthening of Water User Groups (including women representation and voice in decision-making). This greatly reduced the workload on women and contributed to their wellbeing and that of their families

Soil conservation and erosion control activities were implemented and involved mainly the establishment of terraces, tabias and fruit tree plantation. Over 100 ha of land was rehabilitated including the plantation of about 10,000 olive trees

 A rotational micro-credit fund was established to make available much needed financial resources to encourage individual initiative and support livelihood enhancement.  A rotational fund of $100,000 was made available to support fruit tree production, animal fattening and local handicrafts.

Women have now better access to:  Water through rehabilitation of water networks and the provision of animal-tracted water cisterns  Basic energy through the distribution of energy efficient cooking stoves; this also reduced the pressure on the forest resource  Financial resources through the provision of a micro-credit fund  Decision making through better representation in local development groups (mainly water user associations)

 Activities were implemented building on traditional knowledge and local know-how: the rehabilitation of land with an adapted fruit tree varieties; the construction of tabias for the conservation of water and soil; and underground fesguias for water harvesting.  This reliance on indigenous knowledge coupled with newly available techniques was a key determinant in the success of the interventions.

 The initiative was demand-driven; activities were jointly agreed by the community and the executing NGO, building on existing capacities and cultural context.  Sustainability is ensured by government involvement and financial support, community ownership, the good practices promoted and the rotational nature of the micro-credit fund.

 Effective advocacy to mobilize national attention and resources;  Integration of local priorities into national planning and budgeting frameworks;  Pooling of resources, national government and donors, for efficiency and synergy;  Collaborative partnerships between government and an NGO for efficient and effective delivery on the ground;  Flexible approach which makes room for adjustments based on feedback from communities;  Mobilization of communities into structured groups to strengthen their role in decision-making.  Implementation of priority interventions based on local perception, needs and indigenous knowledge.