All Lebanese must do their part to help revive the agricultural sector

by Ramy Boujawdeh December 18, 2018

written by Ramy Boujawdeh December 18, 2018

Agriculture in Lebanon needs a revolution, and we should all be part of it. The sector is facing major challenges: Land is less farmed, younger generations are increasingly uninterested in farming, and national support for the sector is limited mainly to international donors’ programs, with little coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture to develop a national strategy. We’ve all heard about the apple crisis, precipitated by the 2015 closure of the land trade route via Syria for product exports to the Gulf. In addition, issues related to poor traceability practices, irrigation challenges—given the country’s contaminated waterways—and inefficient practices in most small and medium farms are ravaging our environment. It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a country to revive a sector. Agriculture is a national matter, and Lebanon can play a role in the food security of the region, given the microclimates it has, as well

Ramy Boujawdeh

Ramy Boujawdeh is an accomplished strategic leader with over two decades of international experience, fluent in English, French, and Arabic. Known for driving impactful outcomes through strategic leadership and program development, he currently elevates Berytech as MENA's premier innovation and entrepreneurship support organization. He manages a team of over 90, adapts programs to enhance resilience for SMEs and start-ups, and has secured substantial grants. As a global thought leader, he serves on multiple boards and is dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs and contributing to regional development initiatives.

1 comment

Mounia Barakat December 21, 2018 - 1:39 PM

another thing we can focus on is leading to a more sustainable way of production. Lebanon is a country that faces water shortages, and it might be worsening in the future. Thus, precision agriculture for irrigation is a great idea, but we should try and rely less on fertilizers and come up with agro-forestry or polyculture systems in smaller farms to make sure our soils will not deplete in the future. It should be in our plans from now to protect the soil as it is our asset. Thanks to entrepreneurs like Berytech and supporters to the sector like LIVCD we are improving, however, the government should be the main driver and only with competent employees, this can be achieved.

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All Lebanese must do their part to help revive the agricultural sector

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