Register your farm, protect your rights! Launching of the Farmers’ Registry

The Minister of Agriculture Abbas Hajj Hassan representing the Prime Minister attended the event with the FAO Representative in Lebanon, Nora Ourabah Haddad, the Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon, Alessandra Viezzer, in addition to ministers, deputies, ambassadors, heads of chambers of commerce, industry and agriculture, representatives of economic bodies, farmers' unions and media professionals.

Funded by the European Union, the Farmers’ Registry is a program which will include farm data, parcel and location identification data, farmers’ livelihood conditions data, and farmers’ household and socio-economic and demographic information.

In his welcoming speech, Minister Hajj Hassan explained that this initiative aims to register people practicing agricultural work and targets, in the first stage, 50,000 farmers across Lebanon.

"The registry will provide us with accurate knowledge of all the details in the agricultural sector, the cultivated areas, and the quality of the crops, and thus improve our ability to determine the quantities of production ... and match needs with capabilities," he said.

From her side, FAO Representative in Lebanon, Nora Ourabah Haddad, said that the registery will constitute a reference for the development and organization of the agricultural sector and will be used to manage the data of about 170,000 farmers in Lebanon.

 “The Farmer’s Registry is a significant step forward in our efforts to support the neediest ones by also promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development. Managed correctly, Lebanon can reap huge rewards from shifting to a more productive economy” said Alessandra Viezzer, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon.

Several farmers from all over Lebanon participated in the launching event and shared their expectations in the benefits of the registry.

Farmer Walid Abu Saifan will invite all his farmers colleagues to head to the nearest agricultural center and register their farm.

For Leila Dahrouh, a beekeeper form Mount Lebanon, this registry will help the ministry to identify farmers in need according to their livelihoods and socioeconomic. This way, we will have access to agricultural and social services, she added.

To raise awareness on the importance of the registry and invite farmers to register, the Ministry of Agriculture, in cooperation with FAO launched a national advertising campaign inviting farmers go to the nearest agricultural center affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture, after booking appointments through a specific platform which they can access from MoA’s website:  www.agriculture.gov.lb

Funded by the European Union, this registry was established within the framework of the project “Enhancing resilient livelihoods and food security of host communities and Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon through the promotion of sustainable agricultural development” and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, the World Food Program (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

About the European Union (EU)

The European Union supports Lebanon’s stability, independence and sovereignty, its prosperity and democratic order. It strives also to help protect its environment and natural resources by supporting sustainable enterprise and development. The European Union is also committed to the promotion and protection of human rights in Lebanon including defending gender equality, children’s rights and freedom of expression. The EU Delegation in Lebanon represents the European Union to the Republic of Lebanon with the objective to maintain and develop mutual beneficial relations. It engages in political, social and economic development activities on behalf of the European Union and based on the most pressing needs of the country of Lebanon. Learn more on the work of the EU in Lebanon or follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EUinLebanon.