Tunisia Plants Seeds of Hope Against Climate Change

A Tunisian farmer harvests wheat, on June 12, 2021, in the agricultural region of Jedaida, some 30 kilometers northwest of the capital Tunis. (AFP)
A Tunisian farmer harvests wheat, on June 12, 2021, in the agricultural region of Jedaida, some 30 kilometers northwest of the capital Tunis. (AFP)
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Tunisia Plants Seeds of Hope Against Climate Change

A Tunisian farmer harvests wheat, on June 12, 2021, in the agricultural region of Jedaida, some 30 kilometers northwest of the capital Tunis. (AFP)
A Tunisian farmer harvests wheat, on June 12, 2021, in the agricultural region of Jedaida, some 30 kilometers northwest of the capital Tunis. (AFP)

Tunisian farmers are turning to the past to ensure a future by planting indigenous seeds as the North African country suffers at a time of drought, disease and climate change.

Traditional seeds come from a genetic heritage best suited to the environment, said Maher Medini, from Tunisia's National Gene Bank, which promotes the development of sustainable agriculture in the country.

"They are reservoirs of genes hundreds, if not thousands of years old," Medini said, adding that the seeds are more resistant to the ever-growing dangerous impacts of global warming.

Climate change is causing challenging variations in rainfall, temperature and humidity, creating disease in the crops, he said.

"The foundation of adaptation is diversity," Medini said.

Wheat varieties developed in the 1980s are being blighted by disease in Tunisia, but farmers say that traditional varieties appear to be more resistant.

In the past, using indigenous seeds, Tunisian farmers set aside a small part of the harvest to sow in the next season.

But the development of hybrid or genetically modified seeds resulted in better harvests, and native varieties largely fell out of use.

One problem is that seeds from the new varieties cannot be replanted, and farmers have to buy in more seed every year.

Now some farmers are looking at the methods used by their forebears.

Mohamed Lassad ben Saleh farms in the agricultural region of Jedaida, some 30 kilometers northwest of the capital Tunis.

Eight years ago he switched to planting a traditional variety of wheat, known as Al-Msekni. On his farm, the harvest is now in full swing.

The wheat harvested from each hectare is weighed separately, so each plot's productivity can be calculated.

"The results are good," Ben Saleh said.

When he meets other farmers, he lets them know how his traditional seeds are performing.

The national average in recent years has been 1.4 to two tons a hectare, while Ben Saleh says his yield has been five tons.

Ben Saleh reports his seeds are more resistant to drought and disease, which means he does not have to use as much pesticide.

"The new varieties are weak and quickly affected by mold," he said.

With most farmers buying new seeds every season, the country currently imports 70 percent to 80 percent of its seeds each year.

"A return to local or native seeds is one of the conditions needed to reach food sovereignty," Aymen Amayed, a researcher in agricultural policies, told AFP.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has warned against the increased use of hybrid seeds, and considers it a threat to indigenous varieties and to local genetic heritage.

The FAO estimates that over the past century, around three quarters of the diversity in world crops has disappeared.

But Tunisia's gene bank is working to "reclaim its genetic heritage".

Since 2008, it has been collecting traditional seeds from farmers, and also working to recover indigenous Tunisian seeds stored in gene banks around the world.

So far, it has been able to repatriate more than 7,000 samples of seeds from fruit trees, cereals and vegetables out of over 11,000 located worldwide.

These seeds are once more being planted in Tunisian soil.

M'barek Ben Naceur, head of the national gene bank, says that more than 400 farmers have been persuaded to use these seeds, and old varieties such as Al-Msekni and Al-Mahmoudi are being sown again.

"These seeds are the descendants of this land, and they know it," said Ben Naceur.

"Our varieties have been accustomed to rises in temperature and drought for thousands of years, so they will resist climate change and temperature rises," he added.

A report last month by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed unequivocally that the climate is changing faster than previously feared, and because of human activity.

August saw record-breaking temperatures: in Tunis the mercury reached 48 degrees Celsius at midday (118 Fahrenheit), smashing the capital's previous record high of 46.8 degrees in 1982.

"Between now and 2050, temperatures in the world will rise between 1.8 and two degrees," Ben Naceur said.

"And 2050 is tomorrow -- it's not so far away. Varieties that are not resistant will disappear."



Worst November Snowstorm in Half Century Hits Seoul and Grounds Hundreds of Airplane Flights

Macao tourists wearing Korean traditional Hanbok dresses take pictures amid snowfall at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, 27 November 2024. (EPA)
Macao tourists wearing Korean traditional Hanbok dresses take pictures amid snowfall at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, 27 November 2024. (EPA)
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Worst November Snowstorm in Half Century Hits Seoul and Grounds Hundreds of Airplane Flights

Macao tourists wearing Korean traditional Hanbok dresses take pictures amid snowfall at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, 27 November 2024. (EPA)
Macao tourists wearing Korean traditional Hanbok dresses take pictures amid snowfall at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, 27 November 2024. (EPA)

The most severe November snowstorm to hit South Korea's capital in more than a half century blanketed the capital on Wednesday, grounding hundreds of airplane flights and disrupting commuter traffic.

South Korea’s weather agency said 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) of snow fell in northern areas of Seoul and nearby areas. The agency said it was the heaviest snowstorm Seoul has experienced in 52 years. A storm on Nov. 28, 1972 dumped 12 centimeters (4.7) inches of snow on the capital.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said one person died and four others were injured in a five-vehicle accident in the eastern town of Hongcheon.

The storm blanketed much of the country, with the country’s central, eastern and southwestern regions seeing about 10 to 23 centimeters (3.9 to 9 inches) of snow.

At least 220 flights were canceled or delayed at airports nationwide, while authorities ordered around 90 ferries to remain at port. They also shut down hundreds of hiking trails .

Icy road conditions slowed down the morning commute in Seoul, while emergency workers across the country responded to fallen trees, signs, and other safety risks.

The weather agency said snow will continue in most parts of the country until noon Thursday.

President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the safety and transport ministries to mobilize all available relevant personnel and equipment to prevent traffic accidents and other snow-related incidents.

Yoon also asked officials to convey weather and traffic information to the public swiftly to help ensure they avoid snow-related damages and inconveniences, according to the presidential office.