New German-Lebanese Project to Support Farmers in Four Lebanese Regions

A new project, "Strengthening the Local Economy in Lebanon," funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development with €7.5 million, was launched in cooperation with the German Agency for International Cooperation, in a new step that reflects the growing international confidence in the Lebanese agricultural sector and the reform path led by the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture. During the official meeting, the project was launched and the executive cooperation agreement was signed between the Ministry of Agriculture and the German Agency for International Cooperation, in the presence of Minister of Agriculture Nizar Hani and the Director of the Agency's office in Lebanon, Matthias Wagner, in a step that establishes a new phase of developmental cooperation aimed at supporting the rural economy and enhancing the resilience and recovery capacity of the Lebanese agricultural sector in the face of worsening economic and climate crises.

The project aims to enhance the competitiveness of farmers and small and medium agricultural enterprises in the regions of the North, Akkar, Mount Lebanon, and the Bekaa, through developing agricultural value chains, improving access to markets, enhancing institutional coordination, and raising the technical and administrative competencies of entities involved in agricultural production and rural development.

Hani stressed that "the project is part of the new strategic vision of the Ministry of Agriculture aimed at transitioning the agricultural sector from the crisis management phase to the phase of sustainable development and high productivity," noting that "the ministry is working according to an integrated scientific approach based on supporting farmers, improving production quality, enhancing the rural economy, and creating sustainable job opportunities for youth and women," emphasizing that "the Lebanese agricultural sector faces increasing pressures as a result of economic crises, Israeli attacks, climate change, and regional fluctuations, yet the ministry continues, despite all challenges, to build effective international partnerships based on scientific planning, sustainable resource management, and enhancing investment in rural communities, thereby raising the sector's capacity for recovery and growth and strengthening national food security and food sovereignty for Lebanon."

For his part, the Director of the German Agency for International Cooperation office in Lebanon, Matthias Wagner, confirmed that "the project not only represents the launch of a new program, but also constitutes an extension of a growing partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and GIZ over the past years, based on developing systems, enhancing capacities, and improving coordination mechanisms to achieve a long-term developmental impact."