Lebanon Establishes Food Security Council

In what was described as a historic step in the development of the agricultural sector, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Nizar Hani, announced the formation of the Supreme Agricultural Council under Resolution No. (520/1), to be the first institutional framework of its kind within the ministry, bringing together representatives of the official administration, the academic sector, experts and the private sector. This Council aims to establish a comprehensive participatory approach in the formulation of national agricultural policies and to enhance governance and transparency in the management of one of the most prominent productive sectors in Lebanon.

Minister Hani stressed that the council constitutes a "founding station in the modernization of the agricultural sector, where we set for the first time a top national platform that ensures the involvement of various components in decision-making," stressing that the council will be a key partner for the ministry in achieving its goals, foremost of which is enhancing food security, protecting farmers, and developing sustainable agriculture as a lever for economic and social growth.

According to the ministry's statement, the formation of the council was based on the laws and regulations in force, to keep pace with the reform and development plans led by the Ministry of Agriculture, and to respond to the aspirations of farmers in various Lebanese regions. The Council will assume the tasks entrusted to it under Article 8 of Legislative Decree No. 97 dated September 16, 1983, in particular with regard to setting agricultural priorities, reviewing policies and plans, promoting the sustainability of production, and supporting farmers in facing current challenges.

The Council includes in its membership:

Minister of Agriculture Dr. Nizar Hani – President

General Manager of Agriculture, Eng. Louis Lahoud – Vice President

Director General of Engineering Cooperatives Gloria Abu Zaid – Member

Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at the Lebanese University, Dr. Nadine Nassif – Member

Eng. Khair Al-Jarrah – Member

Dr. Lara Wakim – Member

Dr. Shadi Hamada – Member

Mr. Mohammed Al-Husseini – Member

Head of the Department of Statistics and Economic Studies at the Ministry of Agriculture – Rapporteur

The ministry believes, according to a statement issued today, Thursday, that this step comes to unify visions among various actors, and to draw future agricultural policies that keep pace with economic, social and environmental challenges, and put agriculture again at the heart of the national debate on sustainable development.