• Opening and evaluation of tender offers for artificial recharge works in Tunisia (second call) and Algeria (gré à gré procedure)
• Project meeting among Italian and Tunisian partners (NRD-UNISS, IRA and OSS) (21-24 July 2015, University of Sassari-Italy) to discuss capacity building activities, work tenders, dissemination activities and new areas where to implement further agronomic activities;
• Implementation of a South/South exchange activity (28-30 September 2015, Biskra - Algeria). The workshop organised within the activity aimed at exchanging experiences between Tunisian farmers from Médenine and Algerian farmers from Biskra about water management in agriculture (crop irrigation) based on participation and rationalization. Visits to 5 farms and a meeting/debate were also carried out. The farms have been selected taking into consideration the following aspects: the representativeness of the site in relation to the project issues, the site accessibility, the expertise of the farmer in the field of irrigation management, the ability of the farmer to accept technical innovations and his predisposition to receive groups of visitors. On September 30th, a final meeting was organized in order to discuss and exchange information and advises between researchers, farmers and technicians during which valuable feedback and ideas have been provided on irrigation techniques and agriculture management practices.
Dissemination activities
• Participation in the AQUA2015-IAH Congress, Rome (13-18/9/15), and presentation of the following posters:
- Environmental isotopes (N, S, C, O, D) applied to the hydrogeochemical characterization of the Oum Zessar watershed (Tunisia);
- Isotopic tools applied to the hydrogeochemical characterization and the identification of contamination sources in the Oued Biskra watershed (Algeria).
For more information click on the following links: https://www.aqua2015.com/workshop.php?id_prog=147 and http://www.aqua2015.com/cms/uploads/pdf/abstract_607-aqua2015.pdf
• Poster presentation and proceedings publication: “Diachronic analysis of salt-affected areas using remote sensing techniques: the case study of Biskra area (Algeria)” – for the Conference “SPIE Remote Sensing” (21 - 24 September 2015, Toulouse-France)
For more information click on the following links:
http://spie.org/Documents/ConferencesExhibitions/ERS15-Advance%20v1.pdf and http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/proceeding.aspx?articleid=2466351
• Participation in the XIX ASITA National Conference (29 September-01 October 2015, Polo di Lecco of Politecnico, Milan - Italy) and presentation of the poster “Metodologia per la caratterizzazione spettrale delle superfici saline e delle aree interessate da aspersioni sabbiose tramite proximal sensing e remote sensing in Tunisia”. Full paper preparation for the publication of the 2015 ASITA National Conference proceedings.
For more information click on the following links:
http://www.asita.it/static/media/uploads/PDF_2015/programma_definitivo.pdf and http://atti.asita.it/ASITA2015/Pdf/096.pdf
• Participation in the 6th Youngs' Geomorphologists Day Conference, (29 September 2015, Cagliari-Italy) with the following oral presentation: “Analysis of spatio-temporal dynamics of aeolian processes in arid and semi-arid areas using Remote Sensing”
For more information click on the following link
• Peer-reviewed and accepted for publication with Springer: “Classification methods for detecting and evaluating changes in desertification-related features in arid and semi-arid environments” submitted to the Integrated Land and Water Resources Management in the Dry Areas under Climate Change (ILDAC) Conference (Djerba Island, Tunisia, 2015).