Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani (second from the left) accompanied by officials from international organizations, including the EU ambassador (second from the right) and local officials, during a tour on June 10 in Nabatieh. (Credit: NNA)
The Agriculture Ministry launched its mobile units on Tuesday for the registration of farmers so they can more easily benefit from available support programs. This project is implemented by the FAO, with financial support from the European Union (EU).
The ministry's statement specified that farmer registration is progressing well in regions that suffered from the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2023-2024. The statement said that 11,236 farmers had already registered in southern Lebanon, including 2,861 in Nabatieh and 3,729 in Hasbaya. This action targets 2,000 small farmers in the South and Baalbeck-Hermel to help them acquire essential equipment to continue production while strengthening food security in these combat-affected areas.
"The Agriculture Ministry has set a strategic objective to register no fewer than 100,000 farmers nationally by the end of 2025, which is about 50% of the farmers in each caza," the statement said. The ministry created "12 mobile teams working in collaboration with 43 agricultural centers and seven regional centers under its authority to effectively cover all regions, particularly the most disadvantaged ones."
The initiative was launched on Tuesday by Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani during a tour in Nabatieh to oversee the operation. He was accompanied by EU Ambassador Sandra De Waele, FAO representative Veronica Quattrola, and the country director of the World Food Program (WFP) Matthew Hollingworth.
Farmers in Lebanon have often suffered from the lack of effective management of the sector, in addition to occasionally adverse weather conditions for this activity, or the consequences of various conflicts.
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