The ILO Deputy Regional Director for the Arab States Mr. Frank Hagemann, and H.E. the Minister of Agriculture of Lebanon Dr. Abbas Mourtada, signed today a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which outlines collaboration between the ILO’s Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme (EIIP) and the Ministry’s Green Plan.
The collaboration is in line with the ILO’s work in Lebanon on improving livelihoods and resilience for the country’s population, which has been hit hard by a series of financial, economic, security and political crises. It is also in line with the Ministry of Agriculture’s priorities in improving food security, rural development, and sustainable natural resource management, and its Green Plan strategy to assist poor farmers in developing agriculture infrastructure.
The initiative aims to improve agriculture through land restoration and water conservation, by assisting 800 small-scale farmers with infrastructure development such as retaining walls for terracing, small water tanks and farm irrigation.
It is set to create short-term decent employment during the construction phase for at least 3,750 beneficiaries among Lebanese community residents and displaced Syrians. Long-term impact includes increased income for farmers as a result of higher productivity.
The overall investment over the next 18 months is USD 3.8 million with financing from Germany through the German Development Bank KfW.