Die Aggrarlandschaft der tunesischen Nordküste um Bizerta

Abstract

The agricultural landscape of north east Tunisia around Bizerta can be divided into three units. In the Sahel of Bizerta is a narrow coastal strip with large mediterranean villages, whose foundation dates back to the immigration of Moorish families in the 17th century. Irrigated gardens, fruit-tree and vegetable cultivation are characteristic of all the villages. Porto Farina has its cultivated land on an artificial sand island in the lagoon of the same name and concentrates on potato growing. The former rings of olive growing around the settlements have given way to irrigated tree-cultures in recent decades. Next to this intensivel used coastal Sahel, which includes a few settlements farther inland (El Alia, Galaat el Andeless) are the grain and vine lands of former European farms, on the levels around Lake Bizerta and the fringing Tell uplands. In spite of the takeover of the enterprises by the State and their partial conversion to production collectives, the farming methods and crop allocations are largely unaltered. The peasant area of the Tunisian Tell people in the uplands is the third unit. The European farmers drove most of the Tunisian peasants out of the levels and into the hills. The resulting destruction of vegetation and soil gullying are being tackled by the Medjerda Corporation, which uses slope strengthening and afforestation measures to protect the cultivated land and favourably influence the ground water balance of the irrigated areas in the Sahel.