Under the patronage of H.E Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Abbas Hajj Hassan, FAO Lebanon in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) organized a virtual meeting on advancing extension and advisory services from a pluralistic and market-oriented perspective)

The meeting, organized under the framework of the FAO Regional Priority on Rural Transformation, was held on 30^th of November 2021, to present the findings and recommendations of the assessment of extension services conducted in Lebanon as part of the regional action “Strengthening rural advisory systems in the NENA Region: Making rural services work for small-scale producers and family farmers”, implemented by FAO Regional Office for the Near East and the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division. The action addresses the status and role of rural advisory services from a pluralistic and market-oriented perspective, and aims at identifying gaps, opportunities and entry points to inform policy recommendations and strategic planning at the country and regional level to strengthen the performance and inclusivity of the service system.

The meeting aimed to facilitate a national dialogue with stakeholders from different sectors on the salient findings of the study and the proposed policy recommendations for strengthening advisory services in Lebanon, with emphasis on inclusivity, market-orientation and sustainable livelihoods of smallholders, giving due attention to women, youth and vulnerable producers.

The virtual meeting was attended by around sixty participants including representatives from the MOA and relevant ministries, Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, the private sector, education and research institutes, local and international NGOs, producer/farmer-based organizations and cooperatives, and key professionals and experts.

During the meeting, Ms. May Hani, Policy Officer of the FAO Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, gave an overview of the global trends and regional perspective that drive this initiative, and the conceptual framework on Pluralistic and Market-Oriented Services that guided its implementation

Subsequently, Ms Abir Abul Khoudoud, National Rural Advisory and Extension Services Expert at FAO Lebanon, presented the key findings and recommendations of the study of the pluralistic and market-oriented agricultural extension and advisory services in Lebanon.

The meeting provided an opportunity to share and discuss with participants views and perspectives on enhancing the service system, taking into account the specific needs of small-scale farmers while recognizing their heterogeneity. The rich discussion confirmed the importance of strengthening the service system as key lever towards inclusive rural transformation, hence the opportunity of reinforcing capacities and leveraging existing and potential synergies and complementarities among service providers. This implied reflecting on the policy landscape influencing service provision and the economic and social context, the level of services’ accessibility, the capacities of service providers from different sectors, issues of governance, accountability, inclusivity, market orientation and financing.