Over 3 Million Tunisians at Risk of Food Poverty, Expert Warns

More than 3 million Tunisians could potentially face food poverty and shortages, the president of the Tunisian Center for Global Security Studies said on Saturday. Ezzedine Zayani said at the Food Security and Sovereignty and the Right to Food in Tunisia conference in Tunis, the capital of the North African country, that “the threat is evident.” Tunisia’s agricultural growth declined sharply in 2022, according to Zayani. In addition, the economy has been ravaged by inflation and purchasing power has declined. Finally, rainfall has been low for the past three years. Zayani urged the government to desalinate water and give greater support to farmers to avoid food poverty. The National Company of Water Exploitation and Distribution says the country’s annual per capita withdrawal of water is just 450 cubic meters, far below the water scarcity threshold of 1,000 cubic meters per capita.