The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture in Lebanon and the Ministry of Agriculture in Jordan, and in partnership with IFAD and WFP, launched the project entitled “Enhancing resilient livelihoods and food security of host communities and Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon through the promotion of sustainable agricultural development”. This project is funded by the European Union, through the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian crisis, the EU Madad Fund.

The project addresses the reduced livelihood and food security levels in Jordan and Lebanon resulting from the crisis in Syria. It offers to tackle its negative impact on both refugees from Syria and host communities through support to the agriculture sector. This will be done by improving the agricultural productivity and farmers’ incomes, in addition to creating job opportunities for both host communities and displaced Syrians. The project will also promote social protection mechanisms for the benefit of the host farming community.

With an adapted approach in Jordan and Lebanon, the project will aim at creating adequate agriculture production support systems for vulnerable smallholders that support good agriculture practices and timely response to shocks. It will also rehabilitate the capacity of the agriculture extension systems to be able to respond to the increasing demand for support due to the impact of the Syrian crisis. In addition, the project will support vulnerable smallholders and small family-based agri-food enterprises to increase the productivity and financial feasibility of their activities.  Additional support will be provided to communal assets and management of natural resources with employment and training opportunities created for the most affected host communities and refugees.

With a budget of USD 25 255 192, for the three Rome-based Agencies, the project will create livelihoods and incomes for 1 900 vulnerable farming families in Jordan and 2 170 in Lebanon, and will create short-term employment of 100 320 person-days in Lebanon and 260 208 person-days in Jordan. The project is expected to end in September 2022.

About the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis, the EU Madad Fund:

Since its establishment in December 2014, a significant share of the EU’s non-humanitarian aid for Syria’s neighbouring countries is provided through the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, the EU ‘Madad’ Fund. The Trust Fund brings a more coherent and integrated EU aid response to the crisis and primarily addresses economic, educational, protection, social, and health needs of refugees from Syria in neighbouring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq, and supports overstretched local communities and their administrations.

For more information about the EU Trust Fund, please visit https://ec.europa.eu/trustfund-syria-region/content/home_en