In Lebanon, the agricultural sector suffers from both internal and external problems that opposed its development. Relatively high production costs, unregulated use of chemicals and the absence of extension services can be considered the most important in addition to groundwater pollution, high-level migration towards cities, lack of economic policy for...

The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the American University of Beirut announces a digital contest to collect stories related to food security through this hashtag: #AUBFoodSecurity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen are the prime culprit behind the doubling of undernourished people in the Near East, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said today as he visited Beirut, where FAO is opening a new sub-regional office.Lebanon and 14 other countries in the Near East and North...

Good agricultural practices emerged as a common priority in Egypt and Lebanon during the initial meetings that were held as part of the ENPARD South Support Programme. Following which, there was a mutual agreement between ENPARD, the Egyptian and Lebanese think tank to organise in each country a national workshop...

Governance of water use for irrigation is a challenging topic, due to alteration in climatic patterns and the resulting resource scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions. Success stories can turn quickly into failures when significant disturbances occur. This contribution focuses on the institutional analysis to highlight factors which enable or...

The report analyses the determinants of demand on energy, water, and food in the Arab region, thgat  include socio-economic contexts, level of development, population growth, rate of urbanization, scarcity of water resources, the harsh climate conditions, and pricing policies. However, the region is truly heterogeneous in terms of socioeconomic contexts,...

The need for sustainable food consumption in Arab countries has emerged from the regional concern for food and nutrition security that requires special consideration on multiple levels and disciplines. In response to population growth and demand, the current Arab food system – characterized by intensive agricultural production as well as...

This working paper presents an overview of the results of an ICARDA project to provide Awassi sheep farmers in Syria and Lebanon with the latest knowledge on best practices for managing sheep to improve their income. The project provided ICARDA the opportunity to actively convert scientific knowledge generated over many...

The aim of the guidelines is to enhance restoration efforts in the world’s drylands. They provide specific guidance for policymakers and other decision-makers, and for practitioners. Well-informed policymakers and other higher-order decision-makers can be enablers in the design and implementation of effective restoration efforts by providing appropriate policies, governance mechanisms...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is closely monitoring the impact of the Syria crisis on food security, nutrition, agriculture and livelihoods in Syria and neighbouring Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. Assessments carried out across the affected subregion indicate that threats to food security and...

Hosted on CIHEAM’s website (ciheam.org), the Mediterranean Observatory aims at contributing to the exchange of ideas by providing information and analyses on agriculture, food and development within the Euro-Mediterranean area. In this regard, various statistical indicators were collected and processed in order to offer essential information for all those who,...

Lebanon’s rural areas are resource-rich but to keep citizens there the government must provide them with more economic incentives to stay, experts told The Daily Star Friday. “Social protection is critical to fight poverty in rural areas,” Maurice Saade, the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization representative in Lebanon, told...

In the Mediterranean area, precise and accurate data regarding food waste and losses should be enhanced, especially in a context where the food security of the region’s countries is fragile and the sustainability of development is threatened. During the 10th meeting of the CIHEAM member states agriculture ministers, the food...

The humanitarian situation in Syria is of grave concern, with domestic, regional and growing international consequences. As the conflict enters its fourth year, insecurity, generalized violence and specific persecution continue to force the people of Syria to seek safety and protection elsewhere, both inside the country and in the neighbouring...

IFAD and the International Centre for Rural Development, (IDRC) joined hands to use networking to improve the performance of their agriculture and rural development projects in a programme called the Knowledge Access in Rural Interconnected Areas Network, or KariaNet. The KariaNet approach, including collaborative research and capacity building, takes a page from...

lthough the role of agriculture in the national economy of Lebanon is declining in relative terms, it continues to play an important role in the rural economy and has a significant impact on rural livelihoods. In the areas most affected by the Syria crisis – northern Lebanon and the Bekaa...

The World Bank SALMA project would contribute to the economic infrastructure area of engagement outlined in the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for FY11-14 and is aligned with the lessons learned in the FY08-09 Interim Strategy Note. Three aspects of economic infrastructure are addressed: agriculture, environment, and transportation. The project is...

This issue of Caravan looks to the field to present approaches and examples that have been developed through our research with partners in many dryland countries, and can be deployed to benefit smallholder farmers in many more locations. These technologies bring resistance to drought, temperature extremes, or diseases that damage and...

 Legumes are the main source of protein for more than one billion people in South Asia. ICARDA and its partners have developed new legume varieties with high yields, enhanced nutritional value, as well as other traits such as drought tolerance and disease resistance.

In view of the creation of a free trade area by 2010-2020, it is increasingly important to fuel euroMediterranean partnership and gradually aim at the construction of a high quality agricultural and agrifood system. To this end, the horizons of research should be widened to cover the big issues of...