Launch of the Farmer’s Registry Pilot Phase in Lebanon
Under the patronage of the Minister of Agriculture, H.E Mr. Ghazi Zeaiter, the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), launched the pilot phase for establishing a farmers’ registry in the governorates of Akkar, North Lebanon and the Bekaa from 12 till 19 November.
The registry can be used as a basic tool for agricultural development and provision of agricultural services as well as for social assistance programmes. It aims at ensuring a starting base for an effective reach and coverage of targeted agricultural services and benefits, and potential social protection benefits/ rural services (health, crop insurance, basic income, old age pension, credits and other) to Lebanese farmers.
Some 500 farmers participated in the pilot phase, in the presence of the Director of the FAO Regional Initiative on Small-Scale Family Farming, Alfredo Impiglia, as well as other FAO experts and advisers.
The Minister of Agriculture, H.E Ghazi Zeaiter, and The FAO Representative in Lebanon, Maurice Saade toured the Registration Center on November 18 to examine the registration process.
Saade was very optimistic about the success of the pilot phase, stating: "We are currently in the second phase of the farmers' registration pilot, after the first being in North Lebanon. This project has been requested by the Ministry of Agriculture, and a farmers’ registry covering all of Lebanon is planned by the Ministry at a later stage with FAO’s full support.
In his turn, Zeaiter stated that “the process of farmers’ registration across Lebanon requires considerable efforts and financial resources. We decided to start the pilot registration phase as a first step in some villages. This is an experiment where we can estimate the costs and efforts for implementation at a national level and prepare for a comprehensive registration process. The pilot phase in North Lebanon was completed last week between November 12 and 15, and was successful. More than 200 farmers were registered in the villages of Bhannin (North Lebanon) and the villages of Bebbnine and Tel Abbas Al Gharbi in Akkar Governorate. The team at the ministry and FAO’s experts launched the pilot registration process in the province of Baalbek Hermel with the participation of farmers in the villages of Doris and Budai;” Zaiter added.
This pilot phase will be followed by the development of a legislative framework for the establishment of a farmers' registry by project experts, to be discussed with relevant partners and institutions.