Starting a Farm Management and Farm Record Program in Tunisia

摘要

Modern farm planning and management methods are new and poorly understood by most small farmers in Tunisia. This report describes an extension farm management program designed to address this problem. The program, based on a view of the farm as a technically well-managed and economically sound unit, received technical assistance from A.I.D., and targeted farmers with less than 20 ha who raise cattle but cultivate little forage. In its first year, the program was limited to three farms. The program was extended to 54 farms in 1980-81, but many farmers quit because they disliked recordkeeping and had mistakenly expected the program to provide forage seeds and other materials. Nonetheless, the program had a marked impact - both bersim and milk production were far above average, per capita income of participating farmers was slightly above the national average, and the most successful farmers in the program earned twice the national average.