FAO Lebanon supporting rural women in saving apples and cherries

Located at 108 kilometers from Lebanon’s capital Beirut, Ainata Al Arz rises 1,620 meters above sea level between Bsharri and Baalbek Districts in Northern Lebanon.

There, Helene Rahme, an active woman farmer and member of an informal women group called Women Pioneers of Ainata (Raedat El Rif Ainata), couldn’t stand helpless before the lost apples and cherries and surplus of products in her village.

With the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Lebanon, Helene, along with 15 other women part of the group, found a way to make use of the lost harvest.

“The impact of the winter’s extreme and harsh conditions on apples and cherries pushed us all to think of innovative ways to turn these fruits into processed food products so they wouldn’t be thrown away,” said Helene who works in the municipality in the morning all the while giving special attention and time to her work with the women group.

By taking part in the FAO Lebanon project “Support to Women's Cooperatives and Associations in the Agri-food Sector in Lebanon” implemented in coordination with the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and the General Directorate of Cooperatives (GDC) and funded by the Government of Canada, Helene and other women were able to attend 46 online sessions on topics such as business idea development, situational analysis, market analysis, operational planning, financial planning, financial statement, risk management, environmental and social responsibility, monitoring, and action plan development.

Based on these series of capacity development activities  and with the help of FAO Lebanon’s experts and facilitators, the Women Pioneers of Ainata were able to develop a business plan to promote healthy, natural, and authentic preserves. These were produced out of the fruits that were otherwise destined to be wasted, without compromising neither on the safety nor on the quality of the product.

Today, the women group has become renowned for their jams, apple cider, apple, and cherry compotes, as well as syrups.

“With this women group, we managed to prepare the products and ensure their marketing,” Helene said.

She continued: “And we hope that such small income-generating projects and activities would enable women, youth, and elderly to stay in their villages all year long and benefit on both the personal and financial levels.”

The Women Pioneers of Ainata, together with more than 255 women cooperatives, associations, and informal groups, were supported by the project through capacity building on gender equality and several soft skills like communication, negotiation, and ethics. Helene is also among 150 women who received a grant to either establish or expand their own business.

In this perspective, not only did Helene do good to the community and environment but she was also able to promote her village and work on the women members’ personal development. Furthermore, additional work will ultimately generate increased income, which will boost their self-esteem as well as their presence on the Lebanese market.

“We would like to thank FAO Lebanon for shedding light on our town that has important human and agricultural resources such as apples, cherries, pears, and vegetables,” said Helene. “Thank you for giving us the opportunity to strengthen our skills and to be able to prove ourselves as women and become active members of society,” she concluded.

Today, with the support of FAO Lebanon, Helene is hoping that the knowledge continues to be passed down from one generation to another and that the business keeps on expanding so that the Women Pioneers of Ainata’s products will reach across the country and abroad.