“My land is my life”
The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent restriction measures, including closed borders and weakened trade, have compounded the impact of the severe economic crisis that Lebanon has been enduring since late 2019.
After an FAO project’s help to improve her land, Afaf has started growing melons and other vegetables. ©FAO/Ralph Azar
Afaf Qaddouh had assisted her father in working their land in Zawtar El Sharkiyeh in the South of Lebanon ever since she was a little girl. When he passed away, it became hers. She didn’t know then how important this land would become to her.
In 2019, Afaf was laid off from her job working at the municipality of her village. As a single woman in Lebanon, it was hard to find another one. Farming became crucial for her income.
However, Afaf knew she was going to have to invest in enhancing her farm’s productivity if it was going to become her livelihood. Unable to finance it from her own pocket, she looked for help from an FAO project.
The project, funded by the Kingdom of Netherlands and implemented by FAO, works across Lebanon to support farmers in making their land productive and investing in their agricultural infrastructure, including building irrigation reservoirs. As Lebanon houses a large number of displaced Syrians, the project also seeks to create work opportunities for them as well as for the Lebanese in these host communities.
Female farmers are few and encounter more challenges than men, so applications for funding from women were given priority. So far, 254 women have taken part.