Through Agriculture We Grow!

“Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness”. Thomas Jefferson was definitely aware of the importance of the agricultural sector when it comes to developing a country’s economy. For decades, Lebanon, and the Baalbek-Hermel area in particular was very well-known for its prosperous vast areas of agriculture that served the needs of the Roman empire at that era. However, this prosperity was neglected amid the several crises Lebanon went through and it witnessed almost complete negligence for years. The current economic crisis hitting Lebanon has widened the eyes of international and local actors on the importance of developing this sector in an attempt to transform the Lebanese society from a consuming society to a productive one. Food security is threatened in Lebanon especially at times of difficult exporting terms due to fluctuating dollar to LBP rate and the destruction of Beirut port. “Synergies between populations affected by the Syrian crisis to increase the profitability of agricultural value chains” project, also known as “Agriculture and Value Chain Development” is a project implemented by the Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training (LOST) in cooperation with Welthungerhilfe (WHH), and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The primary goal of this project is to improve the livelihoods and opportunities of the rural, Lebanese communities and Syrian refugees in Baalbek-Hermel in the agricultural sector, and reduce social tensions between them.

Since its inception in August 2019, the project thrived to enhance the livelihood conditions for 51 Syrian and 425 Lebanese farmers throughout 5 areas in the Baalbek-Hermel governorate: Baalbek, Bednayel, Arsal, Hermel, and Ein. These farmers are being capacitated on new agricultural practices at Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) in their areas and are being regularly followed up by agricultural engineers at their fields to encourage them to adopt new agricultural practices that will help enhance their quantity and quality of their produce and finally their income. In an attempt to increase the number of skilled labors in the agricultural sector, youth are also being trained on various agricultural techniques and are being directly linked to the farmers to help them implement the administered techniques at the FFSs. Improving the agricultural infrastructure stands at the core of the project’s goal as it plays a vital role in securing a suitable environment for plantation. The rehabilitation of infrastructure comes as part of Cash-for-Work component that benefits both vulnerable youth in offering them job opportunities and farmers in rehabilitating vital infrastructure. To date, the work was finalized in 6 sites across the Baalbek-Hermel governorate, benefitting almost 67 youth from work opportunities and 600 farmers living in the vicinity of the rehabilitated establishments in Yammouneh, Arsal, Maaraboun, Hermel, and Ein areas.

Amid a serious economic crisis, such support granted to the dormant agricultural sector boosts its activity, and enhanced the food security conditions in the area. The real wealth here is that we are investing in the farmers and the youth to create stronger bonds with their lands and improve their living conditions within their community, which hosts refugees as well. All what was read was a part of the project that extends to more than one market actor. The pursuit is much wider and this project’s scope does not end here.