Lebanon National Agriculture Strategy (NAS) 2020 – 2025.

This National Agriculture Strategy is a nationwide sectoral document aiming at developing the agri-food sector as well as achieving sustainable development, to respond to the challenges of the critical period faced by Lebanon due to the economic and financial crisis as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. The NAS's long-term vision is to make the agri-food sector a critical contributor to the achievement of food security and a key driver of resilience and transformation of the Lebanese economy into a productive economy. This can be achieved by following a twin-tracked approach that aims, on one side, at restoring the livelihoods and productive capacities of the farmers, producers, and all actors in the agri-food value chain, and, on the other side, at increasing the production and productivity to make agriculture a more profitable sector that contributes to reducing the import bill and enhancing the efficiency of the value chains and their competitiveness to increase agricultural exports, as well as ensuring sustainable management of natural resources and increasing the use of renewable energy to mitigate the impact of climate change. In order to pursue the NAS overall objective of transforming the Lebanese agri-food system making it more resilient, inclusive, competitive, and sustainable, the interventions are clustered around the following five pillars (1) restore the livelihoods and productive capacities of farmers and producers; (2) increase agricultural production and productivity; (3) enhance efficiency and competitiveness of agri-food value chains; (4) improve climate change adaptation, and sustainable management of agri-food systems and natural resources; and (5) strengthen the enabling institutional environment.
The document is strongly focused on the general need to help eliminate hunger and malnutrition through the development of agriculture and food systems, but the specific measures indicated are (i) the development of a platform to attract funding in cooperation with associations, funding parties, and donors; and (ii) the definition of a system of subsidized food import associated with the promotion of healthy and nutritious food consumption patterns.
In order to make agriculture more productive and sustainable, the NAS aims to (i) increase the cropped areas, animal and aquaculture production and enhancing productivity; (ii) invest in abandoned lands and in land reclamation and increase the cultivated areas for cereals and legumes; (iii) increase production of seeds and seedlings; (iv) control quarantine pests and transboundary pests and develop an early warning system for crop pests; (v) develop fodder cultivation; (vi) preserve animal health and improve breeds and animal nutrition; (vii) adopt good agricultural practices and good livestock management, such as decreasing the use of chemicals and pesticides and mitigating pollution, national vaccination programs, training farmers on the use of biological pest control; (viii) adopt innovative and modern technologies, such as digital agriculture, innovative traceability system at farm level and climate-smart agriculture; (ix) enhance the efficient use of irrigation water; (x) construct hill lakes and water tanks for better water efficiency, and promote the adoption of modern irrigation techniques; (xi) support the use of renewable energy in agriculture; and (xii) encourage the re-use of agricultural waste, production of compost from animal farms and agricultural products.
To enhance more efficient and inclusive agricultural and food systems, the Strategy proposes to (i) support the modernization of value chain infrastructure and postharvest handling systems, wholesale and local markets; (ii) establish permanent and seasonal agricultural farmers’ markets for direct sale; (iii) improve the quality and safety of products based on improved traceability tools, lab capacities, and establishing a system of denomination of origin of Lebanese products; (iv) promote agricultural and food industries and enhance utilization of locally produced primary products; (v) support agricultural exports and access to new markets; (vi) organize cooperative work and farmers’ associations at the level of the value chains targeting smallholders producers; (vii) ensure immediate recovery of the sector; (viii) facilitate access to subsidized loans for farmers and SMEs working in the agri-food industries; (ix) investing in post-harvest handling systems to reduce food loss and waste; (x) facilitate the access to productive inputs for farmers including women, especially women headed households; and (xi) encourage private investment along the agri-food value chains.
The increasing resilience of livelihoods to disasters will be promoted through (i) climate change adaptation (improved access to climate finance and insurance, and climate-smart agriculture techniques such as conservation agriculture, smart planting, afforestation, and reforestation); (ii) sustainable use of natural resources; (iii) reduction of environmental and natural resource degradation due to a more sustainable farming and food processing.
As for Governance, considering food security a national responsibility, to pursue the NAS objectives, essential actions need to be taken both within and outside the Ministry of Agriculture. Internally, this calls for significant investments in developing human capacities in key areas (planning, management, statistics, information, and communication) and streamlining responsibilities deriving from the NAS mandate. Externally, it means (i) engagement in policy dialogue with stakeholders having a mandate in the national context; (ii) the creation of effective coordination bodies such as the Higher Council for Agriculture (a counseling body to provide advice to the Minister of Agriculture, prepare action plans and create ad hoc sub-committees), and a Higher Inter-Ministerial Committee to make policy decisions on agri-food matters.