Lebanon joined the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1945 as a founding member of the Organization. In February 1977, FAO and Lebanon signed an agreement to establish a country office in Beirut, which is the first one to be established by FAO in the world.

Over the past years, FAO’s assistance has focused on the promotion of sustainable development of the agriculture sector, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant ministries. More recently, FAO has been supporting the coordination and planning mechanism for humanitarian and stabilization assistance to Lebanon in the context of the Syria crisis.

FAO’s support focuses on agricultural and rural development, resilience and sustainable natural resource management as follows:

Promoting sustainable agricultural and rural development

Activities include support to agricultural production systems in order to overcome production and marketing constraints, boosting investment in agriculture, assisting small-scale family farmers in their efforts to reduce production costs, increase quality, overcome post-harvest barriers, and improving food safety. Strengthening the capacities of the agricultural cooperatives, in particular women cooperatives, and producers’ associations is another key area of work.

Promoting sustainable management of natural resources

Activities include the application of climate-smart agricultural technologies, including efficient irrigation techniques and good agricultural practices; enhancing the capacity of regional water establishments to better plan and manage water resources for irrigation; and supporting sustainable forest management and long-term reforestation efforts, particularly the Government’s “40 Million Trees Program’’. FAO is also supporting small fishermen to enhance the sustainability of their practices and to support their livelihoods.

Enhancing the resilience of communities hosting displaced Syrians

Investments in agricultural infrastructure and agri-food value chains are being promoted with a view to generate employment and other livelihood opportunities, particularly in main agricultural regions where majority of host communities are located.

FAO assistance in Lebanon is shaped by the 2016 – 2021 FAO Country Programming Framework (CPF). Jointly prepared with the Government and other development partners, the CPF reflects priorities of relevant national development strategies and plans, including the Strategy for the Ministry of Agriculture (2015 – 2020), the Lebanon National Forestry Programme (2015 – 2025) and the Strategic Roadmap in Support of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Lebanon (2014 – 2019). The CPF contributes to FAO’s Strategic Objectives and is fully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is centered on two main government priority areas:

1.     Expanding economic and livelihood opportunities for the benefit of local economies and the most vulnerable communities” through strengthening the resilience of smallholder producers and upgrading capacities for sanitary and phytosanitary control and management of food safety and quality systems.

2.  Improving the performance of the agriculture sector with respect to economic, social, environmental and sustainable rural development” through supporting improved and innovative sustainable agricultural production, sustainable land, forest and water management, and agricultural value chains development.