October 23, 2026
The Ministry of Agriculture announced the launch of new financing opportunities within the “Green Transformation of Agri-Food for Economic Recovery” (GATE) project, with the aim of supporting farmers, cooperatives and agricultural associations in facing the high cost of production and climate and economic challenges. The value of the grants ranges between 500 and 5,000 US dollars for male and female farmers, and between 10,000 and 35,000 US dollars for cooperatives and associations, provided that electronic application remains open and completely free until November 3, 2026.
In this context, the Ministry of Agriculture, through the National Agricultural Extension Program and in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program and the Council for Development and Reconstruction, organized an orientation seminar at the National Library in Baakline entitled “Climate-Smart Agriculture Grant Mechanism.” The symposium targeted about 250 male and female farmers, in the presence of the advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, Mazen Al-Halawani, representatives of the United Nations Development Programme, heads and members of municipal councils, mayors, and the ministry’s work team.
The meeting began with a speech by the head of the agricultural center in Deir al-Qamar, Engineer Wissam Abu Daher, in which he praised the importance of the project. This was followed by a presentation by the Head of the Livelihoods Unit at the United Nations Development Programme, Ali Al-Ghandour, in which he addressed eligibility conditions, parallel contributions, and encouraging women’s participation, in addition to detailing the investments eligible for financing, which include: efficient irrigation systems, renewable energy, greenhouses, agricultural machinery and equipment, storage and post-harvest facilities, manufacturing equipment, and climate-smart agriculture solutions.
In addition to financial support, the project includes providing training programs and technical assistance that include preparing business plans, enhancing the sustainability of investments, and supporting communication with markets and buyers. The symposium also discussed the evaluation and selection criteria, the mechanism for disbursing grants, the required documents, the steps for filling out the electronic form, and the timetable for project implementation.
This initiative falls within the government GATE project funded by the World Bank with a total value of $200 million, which aims to strengthen the resilience of workers in the agri-food sector. The component, which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme, in coordination with the Council for Development and Reconstruction, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the General Directorate of Cooperatives, amounts to $20 million, allocated for grants and technical assistance.
The symposium witnessed widespread interaction from attendees by asking questions about eligibility conditions and the application mechanism, as the project team provided the necessary clarifications. The meeting concluded by emphasizing the continuation of coordination between the participating parties to keep pace with the beneficiaries throughout the project stages, while recalling that the deadline for submission is November 3, 2026 at 5:00 pm Beirut time, and warning that submission is free and no party has the right to charge any sums of money for assistance in filling out applications.
