Also spelled Jérid or Djérid, it is an oasis region in the southwest of Tunisia, one of the two major date-producing regions in Tunisia along with Nefzawa (located to the east of Chott el-Jerid). Administratively, Jérid is the governorate of Tozeur.
To round up the figures, let’s say that the major palm groves in Jerid cover approximately a thousand hectares, and the average size of a garden is less than half a hectare. The various oases in the Jerid region represent the ideal type of oasis palm grove, a puzzle of thousands of gardens structured vertically with layered crops. In most cases, a three-level structure is adopted in the garden: fruit trees, which grow in the shade of the palm trees, cover the vegetable or cereal crops. This structure creates its own microclimate and, together with the main elements of the oases (irrigation system, etc.), provides responses to pedoclimatic conditions. These responses have been selected and implemented by generations of gardeners. The result of centuries of daily practices can be seen and analyzed today as an oasis agroecosystem.
