Brève description de la meilleure pratique

The Sustainable Land Management Programme for Livelihood Development in Lebanon will assist the Lebanese Government in identifying the specific problems and obstacles encountered in the long-term process of reducing land degradation and achieving sustainable land management. The programme will focus on integrated rural livelihood development by integrating sustainable natural resource management with better alternatives in agricultural production and enhancing proper market linkages. The programme will explore industrial hemp, which does not require pesticide applications, as an alternative to the high THC cannabis plant in the Bekaa for improving the livelihood of rural communities and reducing land degradation.

Site

Bekaa Valley - Lebanon

Brève description de l’environnement naturel du site

The Bekaa valley is the most important agricultural region in Lebanon. The Northern Bekaa is a semi-arid region
Mainly Mediterranean red soil
Mainly plain, with some slopes and mountains|

Conditions socio-économiques dominantes des personnes vivant sur ou à proximité du site

Traditionnaly and for several years, production of illicit crops, mainly cannabis and poppy. Poverty signs started to show once the illicit crops were stopped.|
Agriculture.
Private and public lands (including lands owned by religious communities) with user rights through rent

Sur la base de quel critère/indicateur(s) (sans relation avec la stratégie) la pratique proposée et technologie correspondante ont-elles été considérées comme « meilleures »?

The war situation, which prevailed in Lebanon for decades, has negatively affected the livelihood of local communities mainly in remote rural areas. Environmental degradation causes additional socio-economic burden on the livelihood of rural communities. The illicit production of cannabis and poppys has severely affected the social structure in the region. The project is proposing the replacement of cannabis plantations, by indistrial hemp which is very adapted to the local condidtions. The income generated by this industrial crop may somehow compensate for the loss occured after the cannabis cultivation was banned.|

Principaux problèmes abordés par la meilleure pratique

Drylands with low potential for conventional agricultural production.
Poor socio-economic conditions with local communities severely affected by successive war events and by drylands and drought.

Décrivez les principaux problèmes liés à la dégradation des terres abordés par la meilleure pratique

Severe land degradation and soil erosion caused by unsustainable land use practices

Précisez les objectifs de la meilleure pratique

Industrial hemp promoted as a potential alternative to narcotic plants in the Bekaa for improving the livelihood of rural communities

Brève description des principales activités, par objectif

Technical capacity building to produce and market Industrial Hemp.
Selection of hemp variety and farming areas.
Implementation of Industrial Hemp.

Brève description et caractéristiques techniques de la technologie

Test the production of industrial hemp on 2,000du. Develop links with the private sector in order to market the products and to finance further development of the production. Provide financial and technical support to farmers to continue the production beyound the end of the project.|

Nom et adresse de l’institution développant la technologie

Ministry of Agriculture|Ministry of Agriculture/ Director of Studies and Coordination
Bir Hassan - Beirut - Lebanon

La technologie a-t-elle été développée en partenariat ?

Oui

Dressez la liste des partenaires :

Local farmers

Précisez le cadre de promotion de la technologie

• Initiative nationale – gouvernementale
• Initiative basée sur un programme/projet

La participation des parties prenantes locales, y compris des OSC, a-t-elle été recherchée au cours du développement de la technologie ?

Oui

Dressez la liste des parties prenantes locales:

Local farmers

Précisez le rôle des parties prenantes ci-dessus dans la conception, l’introduction, l’utilisation et la maintenance de la technologie, le cas échéant.

The local farmers are in charge of the production and maintenance of the industrial hemp and of the maintenance and sustainability beyound the life span of the project.

La population vivant sur ou à proximité du site a-t-elle été impliquée dans le développement de la technologie?

Non

Décrivez les impacts sur site (les deux principaux impacts par catégorie)

Sustainable agricultural production in the drylands
Prevention of erosion and further land degradation
Shifting from illicit crops to legal and productive crops in a region where agricultural production is becoming a major challenge
Provision of an economical alternative to illict crops
development of a good source of income and access to credits and investment facilities
Development of a new line of a products in the drylands of Lebanon

Décrivez les deux principaux impacts hors site (dans les environs)

Provision of an alternative production in region where agricultural production is challenging

Impact sur la biodiversité et le changement climatique

Décrivez:

The sustainable management of the natural resources and the sustainable management of the drylands contributes to the conservation of the local biodiversity, through the conservation of soils and water and prevention of erosion|
Hemp is tolerant to drought and offers a good alternative to agricultural crops in dry areas and areas affected by drought

Une analyse coût-avantage a-t-elle été réalisée?

Une analyse coût-avantage a-t-elle été réalisée? :

Non

La technologie a-t-elle été diffusée/introduite sur d’autres sites?

La technologie a-t-elle été diffusée/introduite sur d’autres sites? :

Non

Pouvez-vous identifier les trois principales conditions ayant favorisé la réussite de la meilleure pratique/technologie présentée?

The programme focuses on integrated rural livelihood development by integrating sustainable natural resource management with better alternatives in agricultural production and enhancing proper market linkages.
It explores industrial hemp, which does not require pesticide applications, as an alternative to the high THC cannabis plant in the Bekaa for improving the livelihood of rural communities and reducing land degradation.

Réplication

Selon vous, la meilleure pratique/technologie proposée peut-elle reproduite, y compris avec un certain degré d’adaptation?

Oui

Si oui, à quel niveau?

• Local
• Sous-national
• National
• Sous-régional
• Régional
• International

Liées aux ressources humaines

The project is not finished and no lessons can be drawn yet

Liées aux aspects financiers

The project is not finished and no lessons can be drawn yet

Liées aux aspects techniques

The project is not finished and no lessons can be drawn yet