Traditionally, most farmers in Lebanon depend on chemical fertilizers and pesticides to have better yields and control pests. They believe that increasing the quantity of chemical fertilizers would indefinitely increase their crop yields.

In this context, and within the framework of the projects funded by the Norwegian Government and the World Bank[1], the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Lebanon (FAO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), worked on encouraging potato farmers to use less chemical fertilizers and pesticides and find more sustainable agriculture practices to manage their lands, improve yields and preserve water.

These projects aimed at reducing the Litani River and Qaraoun lake water pollution from agrochemicals through the introduction and promotion of Good Agricultural Practices including Integrated Pest Management in the upper Litani basin (Baalbek, West Bekaa and Zahle).

A series of seminars were conducted during the months of October and November 2022 to share with the farmers the results of the pilot plots that have been carried out within the projects, emphasizing on the fact that reducing the excess quantities of chemical fertilizers and optimizing the use of chemical pesticides won’t affect the potato yield as most farmers believe. On the contrary, it can increase their profit, reduce the pollution with agrochemicals of surface and ground water and the Litani river and minimize the negative effects on human health.

Throughout these seminars and projects, FAO Lebanon helped farmers, particularly potato ones, reduce their reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides without affecting their production and profit.

Farmers responded positively to the pilot plots’ results that have been shared, especially that many of them were owners of these pilot plots or attended at least one field day during potato harvest.

Ali Shamas, a potato farmer from Bouday (Baalbeck caza) who attended a seminar, said that before the intervention of FAO Lebanon and the MoA, he used to add large quantities of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in his potato plantation. But this year, when five dunums of his land were planted as a pilot plot with the help and follow-up of a project facilitator from the MoA using much less quantities of chemical fertilizers and no pesticides at all, Ali couldn’t but notice how the yield was very close to what he usually gets, and even slightly higher.

“For the first time, in these five dunums that I planted with the help of FAO Lebanon and the MoA, not only did I largely reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, but I also didn’t need to spray neither herbicides nor foliar fertilizers,” confirmed Ali.

During the seminars, farmers admired how the project’s technical team advised them on what to do in terms of chemical fertilizers and pesticides’ applications and irrigation without any commercial intent.

They also shared numerous questions on tuber initiation, tuber bulking, irrigation, post-harvest practices, fertilization, pest management and efficient pesticide use and application among many other topics.

Today, the majority of the farmers who attended the seminars are convinced that reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is possible without any decrease in potato yield and profit. They also agree to the need to shift to a more environmentally sustainable and economically feasible approach of growing potatoes.

To ensure sustainability of the projects’ results and continuity of the technical support to the farmers, FAO Lebanon also trained project facilitators and technical staff from the MoA on Good Agricultural Practices of potato starting from land preparation, seed selection, planting till harvest and passing through all field practices such as ridging, irrigation, fertilization, pest management, and others.

After attending these trainings, facilitators from the MoA were able to strengthen their technical capacities and communication skills and became more confident when dealing with farmers. They were also able to gain farmers’ trust who started consulting with them on every problem and challenge they are facing in their crops.