National Action Program to Combat Desertification.

This National Action Program to Combat Desertification is a nationwide sectoral document aiming at outlining the measures needed to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought and the misuse of land through effective action at all levels in the framework of an integrated approach contributing to the achievement of sustainable development of affected areas. It covers different areas of intervention, as follows (i) institutional and legislative frameworks to ensure a sustainable management of natural resources; (ii) land use planning; (iii) socio-economics conditions; (iv) water management; (v) forest management; (vi) sustainable agriculture; (vii) range land management; (viii) soil conservation; and (ix) protected areas.
To make agriculture and forestry more productive and sustainable, the NAP proposes different actions which, when implemented, help fight the desertification. They are (i) build the capacity of the small and medium enterprises in agriculture and processing; (ii) support the diversification of agricultural activities; (iii) develop agricultural calendars (date of plantation, crop rotation and cropping patterns); (iv) promote environmental friendly agriculture; (v) rehabilitate irrigation networks and promote the adoption of efficient systems, and the construction of water-harvesting schemes; (vi) regulate agricultural runoff into water courses, water bodies, and domestic wastewater networks; (vii) support sustainable livestock production through the introduction of improved stock, animal husbandry, stock management, alternative feed resources and health programs; (viii) build national capacity in range-land management and livestock production; (ix) empower and build the capacity of the forest management administration and municipalities and local authorities to promote forest protection and management; (x) develop and implement a long-term reforestation plan and promote the conservation of seeds of local species; (xi) ensure the protection of forests from overgrazing; (xii) support forest fire management programs; (xiii) forbid and penalize wood cutting except according to previously agreed management plans; (xiv); (xv) support non-wood forest products; (xvi) support, including necessary funds, the sustainable management of protected areas/nature reserves; and (xvii) support the creation of new protected areas in order to protect fragile ecosystems.
Rural poverty reduction will be promoted through (i) increasing the allocation of public investment funds to rural infrastructure for education, health care, and safe drinking water and sanitation with a focus on the poorer or most vulnerable regions and affected areas; (ii) integrated rural development programs based on a decentralized and community driven approaches; (iii) job creation and employment opportunities for rural population especially for youth and women; (iv) enhancement of farmers' income through efficient extension and transfer of suitable and economically viable alternatives; (v) promotion and development of agri-tourism and eco-tourism; and (vi) awareness raising campaigns at different levels on the close link between the sustainable natural resource use and poverty alleviation.
In order to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the interventions will aim to (i) improve the marketing infrastructure; (ii) create economic incentives and alternatives that lead to the conservation of natural resources; (iii) develop finance mechanisms providing rural and agricultural credit schemes to support small and medium size initiatives; (iv) adopt a participatory approach to ensure that local needs are considered in forest management; (v) adopt a system approach to improve agricultural productivity and to identify needed interventions in terms of provision of necessary infrastructure, credit, training, post-harvest and marketing and strengthen the related infrastructure; and (vi) develop a decision support system for farmers including adequate and timely information on markets, opportunities, trends and production techniques.
As for the Governance, Lebanon will put in place an adequate institutional framework building on existing institutional structures. The framework will establish linkages between the local and the national levels and will facilitate a bottom-up approach. At the local level, the Local Focal Points (LFPs) will be reorganized to be responsible for the organization of local discussion platforms bringing together the different stakeholders (municipalities, cooperatives, NGOs) to discuss relevant environment issues and develop remedial and local development plans. While, at the national level, a National Coordination Body (NCB), will be assigned and will be made up of representatives of the different line Ministries and relevant government institutions and research centers.