The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is working on a “Regional Initiative for Promoting Small-Scale Renewable Energy Applications in Rural Areas of the Arab Region (REGEND)”, which is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). REGEND aims to improve the livelihood, economic benefits, social inclusion and gender equality of Arab rural communities particularly marginalized groups, by addressing energy access, water scarcity and vulnerability, climate change and other natural resources challenges in three targeted countries, Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia.
 
In this context, ESCWA is organizing a capacity-building workshop on “Improving the yield and quality of fruit tree plantings and adopting water-saving irrigation techniques and renewable energy technologies for pumping, irrigation, and water desalination”, in partnership with the General Commission for Regional Development (CGDR) and the National Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME) in Tunisia, to build/enhance the knowledge and the practical capacities of a group of peasants in the region of Chorbane (Governorate of Mahdia, Republic of Tunisia), with regard to improving the yield and quality of fruit tree plantings through the adoption of the best agricultural practices that are compatible with what the region is facing as a result of climate change like water scarcity, by rationalizing the use of the available water resources through using water irrigation saving techniques and renewable energy techniques to desalinate highly saline groundwater and to pump irrigation water. The workshop will provide the participants with theoretical knowledge and practical experience with regards to Water-Energy-Food Nexus, by adopting modern methods of training that integrate theoretical and practical dimensions together through the field school technology.
 
The theoretical and practical knowledge and skills acquired will enable the trainees to develop their income-generating activities in agricultural sector in the field of fruit tree plantings.