Privatizing public land: The Tunisian experience, a success or failure?

In a context of liberalization, the Tunisian State handed over the development of public land to diverse actors: young farmers, technical agricultural officers, and private companies. Some of the land continues to be directly managed by the State itselfthrough the Public Land Office. This article analyses the situation of various actors on an irrigated scheme (Gaâfour, north-west) where the presence of water for crop irrigation theoretically should enable a considerable degree of development. However, field investigations indicate that the agronomic, economic, and social outcomes are far from what either the State or the actors themselves had hoped. However, the success, albeit relative, of a certain number of actors indicates that it is possible to allocate successfully land to private actors. The State therefore should reassess its policy in the light of its past successes and failures. In particular, it should ensure that beneficiaries have the know-how and funding to work the land which they are allocated. For allocations intended to achieve social welfare objectives, the State should set up support services adapted to the technical level and economic means of the beneficiaries.