The state of horticulture in Lebanon

This ILO PROSPECTS report summarizes results of a recently conducted baseline survey of horticulture farmers, workers and wholesalers in Lebanon’s Akkar and Baalbeck-Hermel regions. It serves as a baseline for ILO’s Approach to Inclusive Market Systems (AIMS) component that seeks to unlock opportunities for decent job opportunities in Lebanon’s horticulture sector.

This report presents and analyses data from a survey with 200 greenhouse farmers, 100 greenhouse workers and 20 wholesalers in Akkar and Baalbeck-Hermel. The survey, conducted in the framework of ILO’s PROSPECTS partnership, aimed to collect data on the overall state of covered horticulture in Lebanon, and included questions on production practices, yields and revenues, working conditions, market dynamics and trends, as well as relationships between actors and support received by them.

The report confirms that the ongoing multiple crises in Lebanon have impacted both farmers and workers in the sector severely. The report also highlights regional differences between Akkar and Baalbeck-Hermel in terms of market dynamics and market access that influence livelihoods of farmers and the way these have been affected by the crises. Finally, the report indicates that farmers seemingly receive little support and guidance on ways to improve production practices and increase productivity, and concludes that more needs to be done to provide effective support for them to do so.