The Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture is modernising the old public irrigation systems in the Lower Medjerda Valley which have been in operation for about 50 years. The current project covers three irrigation perimeters located approx. 20 km west of Tunis, i.e. Djebel Ammar (1,470 ha), Sidi Thabet (1,800 ha) and Cherfech (1,776 ha, only drainage component). The works include two pumping stations (Q = 1,518 l/s, H = 37 m, Q = 451 l/s, H = 70 m), a water treatment plant (2 m3/s), two reservoirs (30,500 and 9,000 m3), transport mains (12 km), a distribution network, about 2,000 ha of sub-surface drainage and feeder roads.

In parallel to the rehabilitation of the infrastructure, the accompanying measures provide technical capacity building measures among farmers to improve their practices and empowering them to get involved in the management and maintenance of the modernised infrastructure. The overall introduction of drip irrigation aims to increase cropping intensity and diversify agricultural production. The replacement of the dilapidated, upstream-controlled gravity irrigation system by a pressurised distribution system on demand enables the use of modern, water-saving irrigation techniques.