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Lebanon

Recovery and rehabilitation of the dairy sector in Lebanon: Supporting the agriculture livelihood in improving the dairy value chain in a protracted crisis context

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Context: The agricultural sector in Lebanon, and particularly the milk and dairy sector, is a major source of income for poor rural communities. This is especially the case for households who do not own land. Almost 60 percent of livestock farmers in Lebanon depend on dairy as their main source of living and over 70 percent of dairy farmers are categorized as poor or very poor. FAO, in collaboration with the Government of Lebanon and its Ministry of Agriculture, carried out recovery and rehabilitation activities aimed at prompting sustainable milk production and improving the food safety standards (quality and hygienic standards) of the dairy industry to safeguard consumers and improve milk prices.

Challenge: Lebanon suffers from a serious deficit in its domestic production of essential food supplies, so it currently strongly depends on imports, particularly of animal products and cereal crops (75 to 80 percent). Production capacities worsened after the conflict of July 2006. In particular, the dairy sector - mainly goat ans sheep milk - has been exposed to several constraints over the last decade, with producers experiencing reduced income and losses due to a combination of factors: several years of conflict, meagre resources, unhygienic practices, lack of experience and low level of skills.

Methodological approach: The following components were key to the practice’s approach:

  • Distribution of basic equipment for quality dairy production and training beneficiaries on the use of the provided inputs: electrical milking machines, detergents and disinfectants, stainless steel milk jars and milk filters, along with medium-sized dairy processing units to women-headed households producing local varieties of cheeses and yoghurt.

  • Construction or re-activation of milk collection and cooling centres, which were provided with ten insulated milk transportation trucks, cooling tanks and other critical equipment t maintain milk freshness.

  • Training of 3 500 dairy producers and technicians on topics related to the dairy value chain from improved animal feeding management, forage production and cow reproduction techniques to hygiene and sanitary norms in milk processing and transformation. Farmers were also trained on new technologies to enhance the production of yoghurt and local varieties of cheese, making them healthier and more marketable.

  • Development of capacities for employees in milk laboratory tests, following the establishment of milk collection and cooling centres and training of 80 inseminators and 2 new graduate inseminators on the use of new artificial insemination kits.

  • Set up of a network of producers’ cooperatives to help them achieve economies of scale in their production, and strengthen their power of negotiation on milk prices.