The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

FASTER: Farmers’ Adaptation Sustainability in Tunisia through Excellence in Research

Funding agency: EU Horizon 2020. Duration: 2018-2021

FASTER is a collaboration between CMES Lund University, CREAF (Barcelona University), INRGREF and associated research centres (IRESA, AVFA) in Tunisia, and companies EFB and Vision. 

The project is structured into five work packages and amounting to 1 million €, including: coordination; capacity building through training and staff exchanges; living lab establishing through summer schools, e-learning and stakeholder involvement; project sustainability by monitoring, networking and governmental support; and communication through awareness-raising and knowledge co-creation. 

Expected impacts to INRGREF and Tunisian partners:

  • increased number of publications in peer review journals
  • mobility and international co-funding
  • increased international reputation
  • awareness and engagement
  • new skills and competencies
  • new services and employment related to FAS
  • new research avenues

Objectives

  • Developing a knowledge transfer framework: developing new lines of research, finalize specific articles, improve technical skills, etc.
  • Supporting FAS sustainability in Tunisia: mainstreaming research results and technology to local farmers and policy-makers linked to forestry and agricultural sectors.

Publications

Kadri N., Jebari S., Augusseau X., Mahdhi N., Lestrelin G., and Berndtsson R. (2023) Analysis of Four Decades of Land Use and Land Cover Change in Semiarid Tunisia Using Google Earth Engine. Remote Sensing, 15(13):3257.

Khemiri, K., Jebari, S., Berndtsson, R., and Maalel, K. (2021). "Is climate or direct human influence responsible for discharge decrease in the tunisian merguellil basin?". Water, 13(19), 2748.

Khemiri, K., Jebari, S., Mahdhi, N., Saidi, I., Berndtsson, R., and Becha, S. (2022) "Drivers of long-term land-use pressure for the Merguellil Wadi in Tunisia using DPSIR approach and remote sensing", Land, 11, 138.

Marzougui, N., Guasmi, F., Dhouioui, S., Bouhlel, M., Hachicha, M., Berndtsson, R., and Sleimi, N. (2021) "Efficiency of different Moringa oleifera (Lam.) varieties as natural coagulants for urban wastewater treatment". Sustainability 13(23), 13500.

Marzougui, N., Ounalli, N., Sabbahi, S., Fezzani, T., Abidi, F., Jebari, S., Melki, S., et al. (2022) "How Can Sewage Sludge Use in Sustainable Tunisian Agriculture Be Increased?" Sustainability, 14(21), 13722.

Sabbahi, S., Ben Ayed, L., Trad, M., Berndtsson, R., and Karanis, P. (2022) "Parasitological Assessment of Sewage Sludge Samples for Potential Agricultural Reuse in Tunisia". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 1657. 

Souguir D., Berndtsson R., Mzahma S., Filali H., and Hachicha M. (2022) "Vicia–Micronucleus Test Application for Saline Irrigation Water Risk Assessment". Plants. 2022; 11(3):462

Zemni, N., Bouksila, F., Persson, M., Slama, F., Berndtsson, R., & Bouhlila, R. (2019). "Laboratory calibration and field validation of soil water content and salinity measurements using the 5TE sensor." Sensors, 19(23), 5272.

Zemni, N., Bouksila, F., Slama, F., Persson, M., Berndtsson, R., & Bouhlila, R. (2020). "Evaluation of low-cost WET sensor to measure soil moisture and pore electrical conductivity", Paper number 77, Proc. 3rd Conf. Arabian Journal of Geosciences (CAJG), 2–5 Nov. 2020, Springer Nature.

Zemni, N., Bouksila, F., Slama, F., Persson, M., Berndtsson, R., & Bouhlila, R. (2022) "Evaluation of modified Hilhorst models for pore electrical conductivity estimation using a low-cost dielectric sensor", Arab Journal of Geosciences 15, 1089.

For more publications, visit the project's website

Research Team

Ronny Berndtsson, CMES Deputy Director and Professor at the Division of Water Resources Engineering (Department of Building and Environmental Technology, Lund University) 

ronny [dot] berndtsson [at] tvrl [dot] lth [dot] se (ronny[dot]berndtsson[at]tvrl[dot]lth[dot]se)

Anders Ackfeldt, CMES Researcher and Researcher at History of Religions and Religious Behavioural Science (Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University) 

anders [dot] ackfeldt [at] ctr [dot] lu [dot] se (anders[dot]ackfeldt[at]ctr[dot]lu[dot]se)

Cintia Bertacchi Uvo, Professor at the Division of Water Resources Engineering (Department of Building and Environmental Technology, Lund University) 

cintia [dot] bertacchi_uvo [at] tvrl [dot] lth [dot] se (cintia[dot]bertacchi_uvo[at]tvrl[dot]lth[dot]se)

Magnus Persson, Professor at the Division of Water Resources Engineering (Department of Building and Environmental Technology, Lund University) 

magnus [dot] persson [at] tvrl [dot] lth [dot] se (magnus[dot]persson[at]tvrl[dot]lth[dot]se)

The National Research Institute for Rural Engineering Water and Forestry (INRGREF) in Tunisia

The Institution for Agricultural Research and Higher Education (IRESA) in Tunisia

The Agriculture Extension and Training Agency (bo [dot] avfa [at] iresa [dot] agrinet [dot] tn (AFVA)) in Tunisia 

CREAF in Spain

Vision Communication Consultancy in Spain

Europe for Business in the UK

FASTER Website

External Project Website

Page manager: webeditor [at] cme [dot] lu [dot] se | 31 Oct 2023