Holding on to the land: How the UN-supported Farmers’ Registry is Strengthening Rural Resilience in Lebanon

For many farmers in Lebanon, staying on their land has become an act of resilience. Amid a volatile security situation, economic pressure and soaring production costs continue to affect rural communities. Access to timely and targeted support has therefore become essential, often making the difference between farmers decisions to abandon their land or hold on to it. 

Abdallah Haddad, a farmer from South Lebanon, has spent his life caring for his land. When hostilities escalated during the 2024 conflict, he chose to stay behind. 

“I stayed in my garden for ten days to protect it,” Abdallah said. “I used everything I had to keep this land alive. After that, I had nothing left to continue working on it.”

Across Lebanon, efforts to improve coordination and data use are reshaping how assistance reaches farming communities. At the centre of this transformation is the Farmer’s Registry, a digital platform that compiles real-time data on agricultural production, land use, and farmers’ living conditions. The registry is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Through the registry, Abdallah was able to formally register as a farmer and receive an official identification card. For him, registration was more than an administrative step; it opened the door to organized, reliable support at a time of deep uncertainty.

“I encourage every farmer to register,” he says. “It helps us, the farmers, access the Ministry’s services and benefit from support programmes when we need them most.”

The Farmers’ Registry now serves as a central tool for delivering targeted agricultural assistance, shaping national policies, and informing responses to agricultural shocks.

As of 5 December 2025, a total of 70,521 farmers had been registered nationwide, including 14,570 women farmers (20.6 percent). To ensure access for farmers in remote communities and hard-to-reach areas, 12 mobile registration teams were deployed in coordination with 43 agricultural centres and seven regional offices, bringing registration services directly to farmers’ doorsteps.

Building on the registry’s data, the Ministry of Agriculture, with funding from the European Union, through a project implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP), launched an EU-funded cash voucher assistance programme supporting 5,000 smallholder farmers in Nabatieh, South Lebanon, and Baalbek-Hermel. The assistance enables farmers to restart production, purchase essential agricultural tools and inputs, and strengthen their contribution to local food security.

For Abdallah, the support arrived when it mattered most. 

“Sometimes shelling reaches the village when I’m here, but I do not mind,” he says. 

“My soul resides in this land. Thanks to this assistance, I can now buy fertilizers and continue caring for my orchards.”

Beyond immediate assistance, the Farmers’ Registry provides a long-term pathway for farmers to access agricultural services, social protection and recovery programmes helping to ensure that support reaches those who need it the most, while strengthening farmers’ resilience across rural communities.

This initiative is part of a broader project funded by the European Union (@EUinLebanon) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, to empower agricultural communities and strengthen their resilience through integrated and sustainable solutions.

This initiative would not have been possible without the generous support of the European Union, one of Lebanon’s top donors. Since 2016, the EU has contributed over USD 2.5 billion to support access to essential services that helped improve livelihoods, enhance protection, support elections, and championed joint UN programmes on cash assistance, social protection, and conflict-impact mitigation. Further details on international assistance to Lebanon are available in the Lebanon Aid Tracking reports: https://tinyurl.com/yc3deusc 

 **This story was co-drafted by Ms. Elite Sfeir (FAO) and Ms. Khadija Dia (WFP) with the support of Ms. Zeina Abdel Wahad (FAO/WFP) and Ms. Nadine Daou (RCO/UNIC Beirut). The accompanying video was produced by both WFP & FAO.