Abstract
In Tunisia, the tomato supply chain plays a major role in the local socio-economic development of certain territories. The plain of Haouaria, a region historically specialized in the tomato processing, has known since the 2010s a process of deterritorialization resulting in a greater vulnerability of farmers. The objective of this article is to present the explanatory variables of this process. In order to do that, we mobilized the conceptual framework of the supply chain approach. Our methodology was based on documentary research, field surveys with farmers and consumers, interviews with institutional stakeholders and manufacturers and finally focus groups with various stakeholders in the sector. The article analyzes the structure, the regulatory mechanisms of the sector, and estimates the weight of the territory in its development. Our results show that the structure of this sector is dominated by the industrial form, with a production consisting mainly in tomato paste, the basic product of the Tunisian food consumption model. This structure is characterized by a strong asymmetry of power as well as an unequal distribution of value between stakeholders. Regulatory mechanisms have been developed by stakeholders and the government in order to adapt to various constraints such as decrease in water availability and market saturation. This reconfiguration results in a strong dependence of this supply chain on other regions for its development. Finally, it appears that the deterritorialization of the tomato-processing sector in the study region is mainly the result of internal and external regulation methods, while territorialization actions such as product diversification or recognition through labeling mechanisms, remain weak and not yet structured.