ARAB FORUM FOR RURAL ADVISORY SERVICES (AFRAS)

Country briefs

21/06/2026

Qatar’s agricultural sector has expanded in recent years as part of the country’s efforts to strengthen food security despite severe climatic constraints and limited arable land, which represents less than 2 percent of the national territory.

21/06/2026

Agriculture plays an important role in Tunisia’s economy and rural livelihoods, with agricultural land covering about 62.4 percent of the country’s total land area and the sector contributing 9.5 percent to GDP in 2023.

21/06/2026

Lebanon’s agricultural sector plays an important role in rural livelihoods and contributes about 6 percent to national GDP, with small-scale and family farming forming the backbone of production.

21/06/2026

Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Yemen’s economy and rural livelihoods, contributing around 17.5 percent of GDP and employing nearly 29 percent of the workforce, with women accounting for about 46 percent of agricultural employment.

21/06/2026

Agriculture in the Sultanate of Oman contributes to national food security and rural development, despite structural and environmental constraints such as limited arable land, water scarcity and climate variability.

29/03/2026

The Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) supports the strengthening of inclusive and effective rural advisory services across the Arab region through knowledge sharing, partnerships and innovation.In Libya, agriculture faces major constraints due to limited arable land, water scarcity and climatic variability. Despite its modest economic contribution, the sector remains critical for food security and rural livelihoods.

09/12/2025

The Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) strengthens inclusive, climate-smart advisory systems across the Arab region by linking public, private, and civil-society providers. In the United Arab Emirates, agriculture operates under arid conditions and scarce water with limited arable land (~5.5 percent), yet remains strategic for food security and diversification.

17/11/2025

The Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) strengthens inclusive, climate-smart advisory services across the Arab region by linking public, private, and civil-society providers. In Saudi Arabia, agriculture is modest yet strategic, contributing 2.7 percent of GDP in 2023 and employing about 3 percent of the population.

28/10/2025

Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) strengthens rural advisory and extension systems across the Arab region by linking public, private, and civil-society providers to scale inclusive, climate-smart services.

28/10/2025

Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) is a regional platform that strengthens inclusive, climate-smart advisory and extension systems by linking public, private, and civil-society providers across the Arab region. Arable land made up 25.4 percent of the Syrian Arab Republic’s landmass in 2021 (World Bank, 2021a).

28/10/2025

The Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) strengthens inclusive, climate-smart advisory services across the Arab region by linking public, private, and civil-society providers. In Algeria, agriculture is an important pillar of the economy: about 13 percent of GDP, 9 percent of total employment, and a quarter of the population living in rural areas. Arable land exceeds 7.5 million hectares, and roughly 17.3 percent of national territory is agricultural.

28/10/2025

The Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) strengthens inclusive, climate-smart advisory services across the Arab region. In Palestine, farming persists under severe human-induced constraints, movement restrictions and land confiscation compounded by water scarcity, which also weakens extension delivery.

28/10/2025

The Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) strengthens inclusive, climate-smart advisory services across the Arab region. In Morocco, agriculture remains central for livelihoods and trade in a predominantly smallholder landscape. About two thirds of national land is agricultural, the sector contributed roughly a tenth of GDP in 2023, and nearly a third of employment, with women representing almost half of the agricultural workforce.

28/10/2025

The Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) is a regional platform that strengthens inclusive, climate-smart advisory and extension systems by linking public, private, and civil-society providers across the Arab region.

28/10/2025

The Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) strengthens inclusive, climate-smart advisory services across the Arab region. In Iraq, agriculture underpins rural livelihoods yet remains a modest economic contributor: about 22 percent of land is agricultural, the sector provides ~8 percent of jobs and 2.8 percent of GDP, and most farms are smallholders (over 80 percent under 10 ha, often fragmented). Production is dominated by cereals—especially wheat and barley,

28/10/2025

The Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) strengthens rural advisory and extension systems across the Arab region by linking public, private, and civil-society providers to scale inclusive, climate-smart services. In Egypt, agriculture remains a cornerstone of Egypt’s economy and poverty reduction strategy, employing 19 percent of the population (World Bank, 2023).

28/10/2025

The Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) is a regional platform strengthening rural advisory and extension systems across the Arab region by linking public, private, and civil-society providers to scale inclusive, climate-smart services. This brief highlights a water-scarce agrifood sector in Jordan that, though modest in GDP and employment, remains strategic for livelihoods.