1. Improving Water Use Efficiency (WUE) under rainfed Condition with conservation agriculture Hatem Cheikh M’hamed (INRAT) and Houcine Angar (INGC)

2. Definition and principles of conservation agriculture Conservation agriculture (CA) is become an universal way to achieve sustainable and profitable agriculture and subsequently aims to improve livelihoods of smallholders farmers and environment through the application of three principles: i) Minimum soil disturbance, ii) Permanent soil cover and iii) Crop diversification.

3.  CA principles (Permanent soil cover) allow to increase water infiltration and to reduce in water evaporation and erosion (Ma et al. 2006).  CA based on no tillage system and crop residue retention gives positive control of surface water (Bachmann and Friedrich 2003) and increase plant available water in arid and semi-arid rainfed agriculture, and may lead to enhanced water use efficiency (WUE) by crops.  CA based on no tillage system alters the partitioning of the water balance, decreasing soil evaporation and increasing transpiration, infiltration and deep percolation, leading to increased yields and WUE (Wang et al. 2004). Improve WUE and crop resilience

4. C.A. Projects in Tunisia 1999-2002: Integrated Rural and Agricultural Development Project (PDARI): SILIANA et KEF (semi-arid) 2002-2006: FFEM Project: Pilot Farms playing an extension role (extension to sub-humid Zones) 2006-2012: Project to support CA Development (PADAC): INGC, ESAK et APAD / AFD-FFEM. 2006-2009: Project of Direct Seeding extension for Smallholder farmers (AAAID): Governorates of Siliana, Bizerte and Kef 2012-2016: Adapting Conservation Agriculture for Rapid Adoption by Smallholder Farmers in North Africa (CANA project)/ICARDA- ACIAR 2012-2016: Integrated Crop-Livestock Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Intensification of Cereal-based Systems in North Africa and Central Asia (CLCA)/ ICARDA-IFAD

5. Cropping Season Area (ha) C.A. Development Phases in Tunisia Phase I Experimentation Phase II Consolidation Phase III 10-11 11-12 12-13 Consolidation and dissemination

6. Adoption Survey INGC/ESAKef, 2009 120 Farmers and Compagnies 70% of them had their Own Zero_Till Drillers (84 ZTD) Farmers with their own Zero_till Drillers, 39 % S.A.U is under Zero_till 25 Farmers have given up (Difficulty of Access to Zero_till Drills)

7. Adoption Survey INGC/ESAKef, 2009 Bioclimatic Spread of Zero_Tillage Area

8. Effect of CA on soil moisture

9. Results (experimental station)

10. Experimental station Sidi Ahmed Essalah /Kef ( 420 mm) INGC/ESAK, projet PADAC

11. 3.5% Humidité INGC/ESAK, projet PADAC

12. 3% 1% 3% INGC/ESAK, projet PADAC

18. 2003/2004 INGC/ESAK, projet PADAC

19. 2007/2008 Experimental station ESA-Kef ( 380 mm) INGC/ESAK, projet PADAC

20. 15 – 30 cm 45 – 60 cm AC Durum wheat/ Barley 2008/2009 30 – 45 cm 0 – 15 cm CoA INGC/ESAK, projet PADAC

21. Results (On farm trials)

22. Krib/Siliana (480 mm), 10 years under CA 20032004 INGC/ESAK, projet PADAC

23. 2/2005 Pois 3/2005Pois 4/2005Pois INGC/ESAK, projet PADAC

24. Infiltration rate increased under CA Yields increased under CA system INGC/ESAK, projet PADAC

25. Effect of CA on WUE

26.  Experiment was carried out on farm located 30 km from Tunis, Tunisia (36° 36' 37,3'' N Lat, 10° 0,8' 30,7'' E Long, 65 m asl), during three cropping seasons (2007/2008, 2008/2009 and 2009/2010). Climate is semi-arid and the annual rainfall average is about 400 mm. Soil had a clay texture with 180 mm m -1 total available water. Biennial rotation was tested [Durum wheat/ Durum wheat (W/W), Durum wheat/ Faba bean (W/F)]. Methodology

27. Soil water balance and crop water uptake was determined At the harvest, the TDM and yields compound of durum wheat were determined. - Biological Water Use Efficiency (WUE-b) = Total dry matter/ETR (kg/ha/mm) - Grain Water Use Efficiency (WUE-g) = Grain yield/ETR (kg/ha/mm) An analysis of variance for all measured parameters was made, using Statistical Analysis System software (SAS, 1985). Measurement

28. Cropping season TreatmentGrain yield (kg/ha) TDM (kg/ha) WUE-g (kg/ha/mm) WUE-b (kg/ha/mm) W/W W/F 2007-2008CA CoA LSD (0.05) 2800 a 3100 a 2600 b 3300 b 175 193 6900 a 7500 a 6300 b 7950 b 266 320 7.36 a 8.15 a 6.19 b 7.85 b 0.15 0.28 18.15 a 19.73 a 15.00 b 8.92 b 1.13 1.41 2008-2009CA CoA LSD (0.05) 3200 a 3420 a 3000 b 3460 a 192 210 7600 a 8050 a 7250 b 8100 b 320 460 8.08 a 8.50 a 6.66 b 7.55 b 0.36 0.42 19.00 a 20.12 a 16.15 b 18.00 b 1.32 1.18 2009-2010CA CoA LSD (0.05) 3050 a 3430 a 2980 a 3640 a 160 202 7300 a 8080 a 7280 a 8250 a 380 500 7.14 a 8.09 a 6.52 b 7.82 a 0.41 0.38 17.38 a 19.23 a 15.82 b 7.93 b 0.95 1.22 Results Cheikh M’hamed H., et al., 2014 (WCCA/Canada)