- The document outlines the methodology for analyzing the vulnerability of farming systems in Béni Khédache-Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. It describes data collection from 127 household surveys (BS), additional thematic surveys (TS), and collaboration with local actors. - Data collection included a basic survey of households to understand characteristics, production systems, and vulnerabilities. Additional thematic surveys gathered seasonal data on crop systems, coping strategies, and natural resource usage. - Previous research in the area was also leveraged to understand the history, systems, resource management, adaptation, and more. Local workshops involved actors to map resource usage. Collected data was entered into statistical software for analysis.

1. SYSTEM VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS:
GENERAL METHODOLOGY, DATA COLLECTION,
FIELD WORK AND WORKPLAN
CRP Dryland Systems Béni Khédache site
CRP Dryland Systems North Africa and West Asia
Annual Coordination and Planning Meeting
Béni Khédache-Sidi Bouzid site
Hotel Alhambra, Yasmine Hammamet, 17-18 November, 2014
Fetoui M., Abdeladhim M., Sghaier M., Ouessar M., Licheheb N.

2. THE SYSTEM VULNERABILITY analysis are based on :
 Farming system description and typology,
 Livelihood assessment (capitals),
 Analysis of coping strategies and adaptation to climate
changes and drought,
 Analysis of the natural resources taking in account the
different types of uses and practices
 Local knowledge and innovation (agricultural practices and
livestock management
 Gender analysis
 Food security
 Credit access, subsidies, local development
 Natural resources vulnerability and desertification risks
(Ressources-uses balance)
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

3. Data is collected from:
-Basic survey (BS): Information taken directly from the study field
(127 households)
 In order to determine the general characteristics of the households and their
production systems (demographic criteria, financial, physical and social capitals,
agricultural production, system vulnerability, main sources of information, agricultural
policies, etc.).
 The basic survey integrates also parts which deal with the gender analysis
(man, woman, young people), the local knowledge and innovation (regarding
agricultural practices and livestock management), the transfer of knowledge, the
food security and the sustainability of the system in general.
DATA COLLECTION

4. -Thematic survey (TS): Additional information from targeted
farmers  to identify the annual and seasonal activities and
practices, but also the coping strategies and adaptation to
biophysical, agro-socio-economic and environmental
contexts.
Thematic Survey (TS1): "Crop System": Detailed investigation on
agricultural and livestock activities : sub-group of farmers in the study area
(40 to 50 surveys).
The questionnaire is based on the proposal of the basic survey of ICARDA.
This survey will be supplied by data already collected in the framework of
the "WAHARA" project (100 surveys carried out in the study area in 2012).
Thematic Survey (TS2): "Coping strategies": Concerns the strategies of
adaptation to climate change : (focus group).
It will be fed by the data collected in the framework of the "ACCCA" project
(130 surveys) in the same area in 2010.

5. -Valorization of the previous research programs and projects
carried out in the same study area for at least a decade. These research
programs have a rich database, such as the history of rural people and their
territorial dynamics (JEFFARA program), production systems and uses of
resources (ROSELT/OSS, WAHARA), management of resources
(AFROMAISON), adaptation to climate change (ACCCA).
-Meetings and workshops grouping the main local and regional
actors were carried out by the team of IRA during August 2014, within the
CTV of Beni Khedache (Cellule Territoriale de Vulgarisation) with the relevant
actors in the management of the rangelands of Dhahar ,
The actors have actively participated in the construction of a spatialized
database (status, users and types of use of rangelands, etc.). The tool used to
achieve this work is the Participatory GIS.
- Cartographic treatments
- Local, regional and national statistics

6. QUESTIONNAIRES
-The basic questionnaire is adapted from the questionnaire of ICARDA, integrating the
parts that deal with the gender aspects, local knowledge and innovation. This
questionnaire consists of 9 parts:
- a first general information of the localization of the household
- a second part to identify the household
- a third part concerns the demographic characterization of the household
- a fourth part present the financial, physical and social capital of the household (access to
land, livestock, productions and needs of the family, main sources of income, etc.)
- a fifth part concerns the agricultural production and the vulnerability of the system
(general production and marketing, animal feed, food security and sustainability of the
pastoral system, system vulnerability and coping strategies used by local communities)
- a sixth part concerns the local knowledge and innovation regarding agricultural practices
and management of livestock, the transfer of knowledge, the food security and the
sustainability of the system in general
- a seventh part concerns the gender aspects (man, woman, young people) in order to
identify the main roles in the management of the household
- an eighth part on the agricultural policies and on the agricultural and rural development
- a ninth part concerns the main sources of information for the household (on agricultural
practices, animal husbandry, prices, etc.) and access to credits

7. The distribution of groups of households is based on several considerations:
-Spatial consideration: The stratification by area and by quota has been respected in the
distribution of households to investigate. Thus, the sample is distributed on the three
geophysical areas in the study area (upstream, plains and downstream).
- Consideration of the gender: the stratification takes into account also the gender aspect.
This consideration had as objective to migrate to a second level of analysis of the production
systems vulnerability covering the gender (man, woman, young people).
-Consideration of agropastoral dynamics: some households, that have been already
investigated in the framework of projects such as Jeffara (2000-2003) and Afromaison (2010-
2013), are revisited in order to analyze the dynamics and the global changes in production
systems.
-Consideration of the farming systems and typology
- Consideration of the density of population in the geophysical areas
The sample is statistically tolerated since 127 households were selected from 4400 in the
study area (INS, 2005), ie a fraction of survey which vary from 2 to 5 %.
SAMPLES OF THE BASIC SURVEYS

8. Fig. 1: Spatial distribution of households surveys (BS)

9. SURVEYS
1. Information and mobilization of local and regional actors
Investigations have been preceded by a step of information and mobilization of local and
regional actors to ensure their participation in the whole work of data collection. The
regional authorities have been informed on the objectives of the work and invited to support
the survey work.
2. Conduct of the investigation
The baseline surveys were carried out in two times of a total duration of approximately one
month. In June 2014 and in July 2014.
DATA ENTRY
After the field investigations, the collected data were entered on the “SPSS” statistic
software. A series of measures had been taken before data entry. These measures have
mainly concerned the preparation of variables bar (610 variables for the basic survey).

10. ACTIVITIES 2014
 Conceptualisation, elaboration of questionnaire BS
 Information of local and regional actors and choice of samples BS
 Choice and training of investigators + survey tests
 Surveys : basic survey (BS)
 Meetings and workshops with local actors in Beni Khedache + transect
 Preparation of the first report on general methodology
 Preparation of the variables bar (BS) : 609 variables
 BS Data entry (SPSS)

11.  Conceptualisation, elaboration of questionnaires TS1, TS2 : January
2015
 Surveys : thematic survey (TS1 and TS2) (focus group, etc.) :
February-March 2015
 Cartographic work (with Arcview and ArcGIS)
 Preparation of the analysis reports on the basis of vulnerability analysis
: June 2015
 Prepration of final report: November 2015
 Dissemination
WORKPLAN 2015

12. THANK YOU