When friendship turns harvest into an opportunity: the story of La Terra

Tripoli, Lebanon (ILO News) - In the fertile fields of Akkar, northern Lebanon, Zahir Abed Al Fatah Al Masri and Manal Mahmoud Boukdal shared more than a friendship. Both were small-scale vegetable farmers facing the same challenge: their only route to market was through intermediaries who paid very low prices, leaving little profit and few opportunities to grow.

Their journey took a new direction when Zahir learned about the ‘Improve your Agri-business’ entrepreneurship training programme organized by Neopreneur and encouraged Manal to join him. What began as a learning opportunity soon became a turning point. Through the training, they were introduced to new ways of thinking about business, marketing and cooperation, and began to see the value of working together rather than competing.

© ILO

© ILO

With guidance from the Neopreneur team, Zahir and Manal decided to combine their skills and production under a shared brand, La Terra. The training helped them refine their business idea and develop a creative approach to selling their produce directly to consumers. One of their key innovations was the creation of themed vegetable baskets, each designed around a complete meal concept — such as a “Soup Basket” containing all the fresh ingredients needed for a homemade soup.

What started as a shared struggle has grown into a partnership built on collaboration, creativity and mutual trust. La Terra now represents a new way forward for Zahir and Manal — one that allows them to add value to their harvest, reach customers directly and build a more sustainable livelihood. Their story highlights how entrepreneurship training, teamwork and innovation can help small farmers turn challenges into opportunity.