Processes of liberalization and family farm restructuring in Tunisia

Abstract

International audienceIn Tunisia, as in many countries, movements of economic restructuring and shifts in state policies have been manifested in major transformations in the organization of agricultural production and in patterns of rural livelihoods. Structural adjustement policies, adopted in 1986 have been expressed in cuts in farm subsidies, agricultural price liberalization, and the reorganization of the farm credit system. They have significantly altered the economic environment of farming activities. At the household level, processes of restructuring have been manifested in important shifts in farm production patterns, as well as in the work strategies of family members. Based on a survey of 60 farm households of the village of Bir Mcherga in a semi-arid region of northern Tunisia, this paper analyses the dynamics of farm restructuring from the perspective of the changing socio-economic strategies of family farm households. Exploring the diverse ways in which farm households members negotiate their changing access to economic resources, reorganize their farming activities and reallocate family labor, the paper also draws attention of the new patterns of social differentiation among family farms brought about by processes of liberalization and commoditization