The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) signed two cooperative agreements with Italian non-governmental organization (NGOs).

The first agreement was signed with the Institution for the University Cooperative (ICU). ‘Adaptation to Climate Changes’ is a project to improve water demand management in irrigated agriculture. It will be implemented in Ablah (Bekaa) by introducing new technologies and best agriculture practices.

Majida Mcheik, Project Coordinator at the MoA, said: “When sewage is treated in compliance with international standards, it becomes suitable for irrigating fruit trees such as grapes, but not for vegetables.”

ICU will be funding the project with a total of $1.2 million.

ICU chose 11 farmers to benefit from the project. “The number of farmers will increase to reach 25,” said Mcheik.

The production capacity of the station will reach 1,000 cubic meters daily. ICU will be quality testing the filtered water on a regular basis.

Another agreement was signed between the MoA and Local Action Group (LAG). It aims at implementing the Green Energy for Green Companies (GREENECO) project.

The $580,000 project is funded by LAG. The project will conduct preliminary studies to assess the feasibility of green energy usage for small farmers. “We will be able to advise farmers if it is best to dig up water from wells through using green energy or by using electricity and fuel oil,” said Mcheik

This project will be implemented in Mount Lebanon, the South, and Bekaa.