Hani stressed that “the next stage requires moving from responding to the damages to building an integrated path for agricultural recovery, based on rehabilitating production capabilities and investing in farmers, land, and agricultural infrastructure.” He said: “For us, agriculture is not only an economic sector, but an issue of resilience, food sovereignty, and balanced development, and the farmer is the foundation of any real policy to advance the Lebanese countryside. Therefore, we do not want the response in the affected areas to be limited to treating losses, but rather we are working to move to the recovery phase and rebuild productive capabilities on more sustainable foundations, enabling the farmer to return to his land and produce, continue, and compete.”
Bab Al-Shouf
From Nabatieh, the Minister of Agriculture moved to the town of Kfarfakoud, where he participated in the opening of “Bab Chouf,” in a step that enhances local economic development and rural tourism, and provides additional space for marketing agricultural, food, and craft products that characterize the region. He stressed “the importance of building integration between agriculture, rural tourism, and food and craft industries, because of this model’s ability to create added value to local products, improve the income of rural families, open new marketing channels, and create economic opportunities in villages and agricultural areas,” stressing that “The Ministry of Agriculture encourages initiatives that move the product from the field to the market within an integrated value chain, and at the same time preserve the identity of the countryside, its resources, and its agricultural and food heritage.”
Get me
In a new agricultural station in Qaitouli – Jezzine, Hani, in cooperation with the Khasba Desert Association, launched a project to distribute agricultural seedlings to 1,150 farmers, with the aim of supporting their production capabilities and encouraging them to continue farming and adopt more sustainable practices. He stressed that “providing seedlings and production inputs forms part of an integrated support process that must be accompanied by guidance, technical keeping up, selection of appropriate varieties, planning for production, and linking it to the needs of the markets.” He said: “Supporting farms does not end with providing seedlings or production inputs, but rather begins with them. What we are working on is an integrated system that includes guidance, modern technologies, and quality improvement, all the way to the post-harvesting, sorting, packaging, manufacturing, and marketing stage. The goal is not only to increase production, but to enable the farmer to achieve a fair and sustainable economic return from his land and his work.”
Rumaila
In Rumaila – Chouf Coast, Hani met with farmers and learned about the reality of the sector in the region, which is characterized by promising potential and diversity in production, especially the cultivation of tropical and specific fruits. He listened directly to the farmers and the challenges they face, and discussed with them ways to develop production, improve quality, and adopt appropriate agricultural techniques, in addition to developing the structures and services associated with the post-harvest stage, especially sorting, packaging, and preservation, in a way that raises the added value of the products and enhances their ability to compete.
The research also addressed the importance of organizing production and linking it to marketing, and working to explore new markets for specific Lebanese products, thus providing farmers with broader opportunities to dispose of their production and improve their incomes.
Jezzine
Hani concluded his field day with an extensive agricultural meeting devoted to discussing the reality of the agricultural sector in Jezzine district, where he listened to the needs of farmers, the region’s priorities, and the challenges facing various activities and agricultural production chains. He stressed “the importance of building programs based on the regions’ needs and agricultural advantages, and enhancing coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture, municipalities, associations, the private sector, and farmers, allowing the transformation of local potential into sustainable productive and economic opportunities.”
In the context of strengthening this participatory approach, Hani signed a cooperation agreement with the “Development of My Town” Association, with the aim of developing cooperation in the agricultural and development fields and supporting initiatives that serve farmers and rural communities.
At the conclusion of the tour, Hani stressed that “direct presence in the regions and listening to farmers constitute a fundamental pillar of the work approach adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture,” stressing that “agricultural policies are more effective when they start from field reality and are translated into implementable programs.” He said: “Our field trips are not protocol visits, but rather part of the Ministry of Agriculture’s work approach. We come to the regions, listen to farmers and determine priorities with them, then we work to link actual needs to national programs and to partnerships with municipalities, associations, the private sector and international partners. What we want from these partnerships is investment that reaches the land, production and value chains and leaves a sustainable economic and development impact.”
He added: “The Ministry of Agriculture’s place is alongside the farmer, on his land, in his village, and among his fields. We will continue to be present in various Lebanese regions, because our vision is clear: protecting farms, enhancing production, developing the countryside, developing value chains and opening markets to Lebanese products, leading to a modern, productive, competitive and resilient agricultural sector that forms a pillar of food security and the national economy.”
Noting that this tour comes within a series of field movements and visits led by the Minister of Agriculture in various regions, with the aim of linking agricultural policies and programs to actual needs on the ground, expanding the base of local and international partnerships, and promoting the transition from immediate interventions to sustainable projects and programs that support production, marketing and rural development.
