Nefta - The Oasis

To the south of the Souk quarter the town of Nefta comes to an end, giving place to the garden-like country of the oasis, traversed by sandy tracks and small irrigation channels which distribute water to the various holdings of land in accordance with traditional rules.

The most important products of the oasis, in addition to corn, vegetables and citrus fruits, are the famous deglat en nour dates. Since the economic and social structure of Nefta, like that of Tozeur, is antiquated - with a small number (some 2% of the population) of large landowners owning over 1,000 palms each and some hundreds of smallholdings of under 50 palms - productivity is much lower than in recently planted palm-groves such as those in the oasis of El Hamma.