The genetic heritage of sheep and goats in Tunisia is rich and diverse with a population of around 4 million breeding ewes and 800 thousand breeding goats. More than 80 per cent of the sheep and goat stock are raised in generally mixed (sheep and goats), small-sized flocks under very extensive conditions. Moreover, social-economic mutations have raised new production systems, new consumption trends hence, new objectives of selection. In a situation already marked by the diversity of the production conditions with a further rapid mutation, the definition of breeding objectives is a difficult, not straightforward task. Based on the technical results of breeds characterisation, the present paper develops a number of ideas in relation to the future prospects of sheep and goats genetic improvement bearing in mind the above listed constraints and in the expectation of the social-economic evolutions ahead of this production area.