LEBANON– The Lebanese Association for Studies and Training launched an initiative at the Agricultural Village Center in Baalbek as part of efforts to support the marketing of local agricultural production and promote direct cooperation between farmers and consumers.

The exhibition’s director, Engineer Zeinab Al-Moussawi, explained that “the initiative comes in response to the challenges faced by Baalbek’s farmers, by calling on citizens to assume their collective responsibility through purchasing locally grown lettuce directly from farmers, thereby supporting the resilience of the agricultural sector and stimulating the local economic cycle”.

She added, “The exhibition is not merely a market for selling agricultural products, but rather a genuine partnership that strengthens the direct relationship between producer and consumer and reconnects people with their land”.

Al-Moussawi concluded by saying, “This initiative falls within the broader framework of supporting farmers and the agricultural sector in general, in cooperation with agricultural experts, under the slogan ‘Together Towards Sustainable Agriculture’, which is based on respecting the soil, preserving the land, and protecting the dignity of the farmer”.

For his part, farmer Mohammad Hamieh stressed that “this exhibition represents a real space to support the Lebanese farmer and an opportunity for fresh local produce to reach consumers directly,” calling for “enhancing local production and protecting it from smuggling through both legal and illegal border crossings, given that agriculture constitutes a fundamental pillar of food security and economic sovereignty”.