As part of its support to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries, and in response to increasingly pressing climate challenges, the Takween programme is strengthening the integration of climate issues into agricultural training and professional support schemes.
Implemented by Swisscontact under the supervision of the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, and funded by Swiss Cooperation in Tunisia, the programme contributes to reinforcing institutional capacities in line with national priorities and the realities of climate change.
On 15 April, the Agricultural Vocational Training Centre of Chott‑Mariem hosted the closing session of a workshop dedicated to integrating climate considerations into agricultural training practices. Organised within the framework of the Takween programme, the event took place in the presence of Johanna Lanitis, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland in Tunisia, who also participated in the certificate award ceremony.
The event brought together several institutional representatives, including Heykel Hochlef, Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries; Mongi Jeaidi, Director General of the Agricultural Extension and Training Agency; and Nejib El Fehel, Regional Commissioner for Agricultural Development in Sousse.
The workshop brought together fourteen senior officials from the Ministry and affiliated institutions. Facilitated by Jonathan Rezzonico, Climate Change Advisor, the training aimed to strengthen participants’ capacities to better integrate climate challenges into their training activities and field‑level support.
A central component of the workshop was the use of the CEDRIG guide (Climate, Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction Integration Guidance), developed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. This methodological tool is designed to support development practitioners in systematically integrating climate, environmental and disaster risk reduction considerations into their projects and activities.
Through this approach, participants were encouraged to adopt a more comprehensive and forward‑looking analysis of climate risks, helping to improve the relevance, coherence and sustainability of interventions in the agricultural sector. The tool strengthens institutional capacities to design training systems that are better adapted to current and future climate realities.
Beyond the training itself, this initiative reflects the Takween programme’s commitment to supporting institutional and technical stakeholders in progressively embedding climate considerations into their professional practices. By combining targeted technical training with appropriate methodological tools, the programme promotes more sustainable and climate‑resilient approaches within Tunisia’s agricultural sector.
On the sidelines of the workshop, participants visited the training facilities of the Chott‑Mariem centre and engaged in discussions with teaching staff and trainees. These exchanges provided an opportunity to observe concrete activities implemented under the Takween–Agricultural Extension and Training Agency partnership, including the certification of forty olive tree pruners from the governorates of Mahdia and Sousse.