Tunisia's lagoon farmers cling on as sea level rises

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Ali Garsi has farmed a 0.8-hectare (two-acre) plot in the Ghar El Melh wetlands, which lie some 60 km (35 miles) north of Tunis, for 20 years. Relying on a layer of freshwater that feeds his plants above a saltwater base, he grows mainly potatoes, onions and tomatoes.

But with sea levels and temperatures in the area rising and rainfall below average, his yields are dropping.

"There is a shortage in the quantities of rain, and this definitely negatively affected the quantity of our product in general," the 61-year-old retired teacher told Reuters as he looked across the lagoon plots, collectively known as al-Qataya.

"Production is weaker, compared to years when the quantities of rain were respectable."

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