LEBANON - Italy has allocated €5 million to support Lebanon’s agricultural and food sectors in areas affected by conflict, helping vulnerable rural communities recover from the impact of ongoing instability.
Under the program, at least 9,850 farming households in the governorates of South Lebanon, Nabatieh, Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel will receive emergency assistance.
In addition, around 2,200 internally displaced people will benefit from temporary employment opportunities through cash-for-work activities designed to support agricultural production and enhance community resilience.
The project also aims to strengthen 40 agricultural cooperatives and improve the skills of 60 Ministry of Agriculture employees in areas including emergency response, information management, beneficiary identification and agricultural service delivery.
The contribution, provided through Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and implemented by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will fund the “Emergency Support and Livelihoods Programme for the Agricultural and Food Sector in Conflict-Affected Areas in Lebanon.”
The initiative follows a memorandum of understanding recently signed between Lebanon’s Ministry of Agriculture and Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture, aimed at strengthening cooperation in agricultural development, sustainability, and production support.
According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Agriculture, the programme forms part of broader efforts led by Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani to mobilize international support for the sector, promote agricultural recovery, protect farmers’ livelihoods, and strengthen food security.
The funding comes at a time when Lebanon’s agricultural sector faces significant challenges. Damage to farmland and agricultural infrastructure, population displacement, and limited access to fields and markets have reduced agricultural production and weakened income sources for thousands of rural households, especially in southern Lebanon and other conflict-affected regions.
The programme adopts an integrated approach combining cash assistance, agricultural vouchers, and providing essential farming inputs for crop and livestock producers.
Special attention will be given to women, female-headed households, young people, and other groups disproportionately affected by the crisis, to promote economic recovery and social resilience in rural communities.
FAO Representative in Lebanon Nora Ourabah Haddad said the loss of even a single agricultural season can place thousands of rural families at greater risk.
She added that the Italian-funded programme will provide farmers with critical resources and services, including quality seeds, fertilizers, livestock feed, vaccines and harvesting support.
Minister Hani described the initiative as more than emergency assistance, calling it a strategic investment in revitalizing agricultural production, strengthening food systems, and enhancing the resilience of Lebanon’s rural communities.
The support is intended to help vulnerable farming families restore productive activities, maintain income sources and improve household food security.
