Context:
After years of political instability and sustained economic crises, Lebanon finds itself in a very difficult political and economic situation. The agricultural sector is underfunded and has been neglected by politicians. Consequently the country is not fulfilling its agricultural potential and it has to import the majority of its food. At the same time, the agricultural sector is threatened by the negative effects of climate change.
Objective:
Farmers, as well as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the agribusiness and food industry, are improving the quality and quantity of their production while tapping into new markets.
Approach:
The project is supporting the work of farmers to open up national and global markets, which entails, for example, providing training to farmers on compliance with international quality standards. It also applies a contract farming approach to link the producers with downstream buyers, such as millers and pasta manufacturers. This ensures there is a market for the agricultural produce.
The project is also setting up a dependable range of advisory and support services for private-sector actors in the agribusiness and food industry. For example, it supports the provision of entrepreneurship advice to private-sector actors in rural areas, enabling them to improve their business processes. This is intended to reinforce the competitiveness of companies in such areas.
Apart from this, the project advises the national Ministry of Agriculture on creating more conducive conditions for the private sector in rural areas. This is possible, for example, by making additional trade agreements with neighbouring countries and by supporting laboratories that measure residues in food.