Tunisia's Ramli farming systems in the lagoons of Ghar El Melh have just been officially awarded the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) certificate by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). During a ceremony held at the FAO headquarters in Rome, President of the Ghar El Melh Local Union of Agriculture and Fisheries Zahra Nefaf received the official certificate on the occasion of the international day for biological diversity. The ceremony was attended by 12 countries including Tunisia, represented by the files of the Ramli agricultural system in the lagoons of Ghar El Melh and the hanging gardens from Djebba El Olia, Nefaf told TAP. The GIAHS designation was granted on June 15, 2020 as a way of promoting Ramli farming systems in the lagoons of Ghar el Melh, she recalled. This know-how ensures the sustainability of crops without additional water thanks to an innovative ancestral system brought by Andalusian migrants in the 17th century, explained Nefaf, adding that these farming systems are adapted to the lack of arable land and the lack of fresh water that characterise the region. The overall goal of the GIAHS Programme is to identify and safeguard Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems and their associated landscapes, agricultural biodiversity and knowledge systems through catalyzing and establishing a long-term programme to support such systems and enhance global, national and local benefits derived through their dynamic conservation, sustainable management and enhanced viability.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse