Short description of the best practice

Improvement of the livelihood systems through reforestation, replacement of existing fruit trees with more adapted cultivars, vaccination of livestock and empowerment of youth and women groups|

Location

Baalbak-Hermel, Bekaa Valley - Lebanon|

Brief description of the natural environment within the specified location.

Degraded drylands with low rainfall (200-300mm) long, dry and hot summers, cold winters|
Plains and mountains
Sandy; red mediterranean

Prevailing socio-economic conditions of those living in the location and/or nearby

Agriculture; livestock (mainly sheep)
Poor livelihood systems; affected by successive war events and by land degradation; access to basic social, educational and medical needs|
Private and public lands (religious communities and government or communal lands) with user proerty rights through rent

On the basis of which criteria and/or indicator(s) (not related to The Strategy) the proposed practice and corresponding technology has been considered as 'best'?

The practice is strongly contributing to the improvement of the very degraded surrounding lands, and to the improvement of income and livelihoods of the local population. The target populations and ecosystems are showing signs of improvement.|

Main problems addressed by the best practice

Severe land degradation; unadapted fruit trees; unsustainable livelihood systems

Outline specific land degradation problems addressed by the best practice

Desertification and land degradation (including woodlands and grazing lands); agricultural lands and orchards affected by drought; poor livelihoods

Specify the objectives of the best practice

Improvement of the ecosystems, poverty alleviation and improvement of livelihood systems|

Brief description of main activities, by objective

Production and distribution of forest seedlings (1 million seedlings/year: 750000 forest; 250000 fruit trees); reforestation and range enrichement campaigns
Provision of extension services on sustainable land management and combating desertification; awareness raising on importance of contour plowing and water harvesting and other sustainable practices; training of trainers on environmental awareness; provision of services such as water analysis
Marketing of agricultural, food products and handicrafts through an annual fair gathering producers from the different parts of the country (mainly dryland products)|Improvement of livestock production; animal health; vaccination
Empowerment of women and youth groups; capacity building on food processing; vocational training (hairdressing, handicrafts, computer...)|

Name and address of the institution developing the technology

Jihad el Binaa - Lebanon|info@jbf-lb.org

Was the technology developed in partnership?

Yes

List the partners:

Local farmers

Specify the framework within which the technology was promoted

• Local initiative
• National initiative – non-government-led

Was the participation of local stakeholders, including CSOs, fostered in the development of the technology?

Yes

List local stakeholders involved:

Local office of Jihad el Binaa; local farmer groups

For the stakeholders listed above, specify their role in the design, introduction, use and maintenance of the technology, if any.

Needs assessment; development of production nursery; distribution of seedlings; maintenance of planted forests and orchards; awareness raising and capacity building; animal health

Was the population living in the location and/or nearby involved in the development of the technology?

Yes

By means of what?

• Consultation
• Participatory approaches

Describe on-site impacts (the major two impacts by category)

Creation of new jobs through vocational training
Improvement of livelihood conditions through marketing of agricultural and food products and handicrafts and through provision of health and sanitation services such as water analysis and animal vaccination
Promotion of sustainable agricultural practices
Improvement of ecosystems through reforestation of degraded lands

Describe the major two off-site (i.e. not occurring in the location but in the surrounding areas) impacts

Marketing of agricultural and food products and handicrafts from the different parts of the country in the annual fair
Adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in surrounding areas

Impact on biodiversity and climate change

Explain the reasons:

Contribution to climate change adaptation and mitigation through reforestation and sustainable land use practices
Conservation of local biodiversity through reforestation using local species from local provenances

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

No

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Yes

Where?

Different regions in Lebanon

Can you identify the three main conditions that led to the success of the presented best practice/technology?

Highly degraded ecosystems requiring rehabilitation
Local communities living in poor livelihood systems and in need of any support that can lead to the improvement of the conditions
Consultation and coordination with local communities, prior and during implementation; practice based on a demand driven approach and on a need assessment|

Replicability

In your opinion, the best practice/technology you have proposed can be replicated, although with some level of adaptation, elsewhere?

Yes

At which level?

• Local
• Sub-national
• National
• Subregional

Related to human resources

The participation of the local communities in the planning and implementation processes insure the success of the interventions

Related to financial aspects

The improvement of the economical conditions of the local communities is maximised by building the capacities of the different groups andthe creation of new jobs; direct financial assistance is minimized and replaced by inputs, marketing facilities and services|

Related to technical aspects

High quality production techniques and technical assistance provided insure the sucess of the operation