The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced that it has released $1.1m as part of its annual funding of  the Agriculture and Rural Empowerment (ARE) project. It said that the funds will support small-scale farmers across Lebanon for a two-year period by providing critical agriculture inputs for irrigated and unirrigated production systems, which will facilitate the cultivation  of nutritious vegetables and legumes for consumption or sale. It added that the agricultural inputs consist of seeds, seedlings and compost,  and will be distributed during the fall and spring seasons, with recipients receiving a tailored support package based on their farming requirements. It indicated that the in-kind support will be accompanied with technical training and educational materials to improve crop  productivity, and will link the farmers with input suppliers to sustain production. It noted that the program aims to support 11,500 farmers  and that about 5,000 farmers in rural areas have already benefited from this support.The Agriculture and Rural Empowerment is a $57m multi-year program funded by the USAID that supports Lebanese rural communities  by providing technical and financial resources to increase the productivity, sales, and exports of agricultural products, and in order to  support the sustainable livelihoods of rural communities and improve food security for vulnerable populations. The program started in  June 2020 and ends in June 2027. The USAID indicated that it has provided more than $1.3bn since 2006 to support various projects  Lebanon, including $180m to upgrade public water utilities, $113m to boost private sector development, and $200m in investments to  improve basic services, including renewal back-up power generation and clear water provision, as well as to expand economic livelihoods  at the local community level. (ICE BEIRUT)

Fonte notizia: Byblos Bank, March 18 - 30, 2024