Pluriactivity in the rural areas of the Kef governorate

A development or a crisis?

Abstract

The governorate of Kef is known for the fragility of its various economic sectors, a phenomenon particularly acute in the south-western delegations. The agricultural sector, the mainstay of the governorate's economy, is suffering from a multidimensional crisis (stagnation of production systems, fragmentation and land concentration, limited results from the irrigation sector, etc.), in addition to the mining crisis and the weakness of industrial and service activities. In particular, this has transformed the western border delegations into a major source of exodus to the country's eastern regions. As a result, the phenomenon of pluriactivity, particularly illegal ones, has spread throughout the region, in reaction to the limited results of development projects. In this paper, we focus on the spatial variation of this phenomenon within the governorate of Kef, as well as on the diversity of forms of pluriactivity among rural families, and the impact of these forms on the family production system.