(August 7, 2017) Olive oil and coastal areas are the new commitments of Bari’s International Center for Advanced Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) in Lebanon, with the contribution of Italian Cooperation. In recent days, at the headquarters of the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture, a ceremony was held for the launch of two initiatives funded by the Italian government. The first concerns the project for the strengthening and enhancement of the quality olive oil production chain in Lebanon, and the second involves the implementation of a master plan for the development of the coastal areas of the Cedar Country. The initiatives include collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) and CIHEAM of Bari, which will implement them. The ceremony was attended by the Lebanese Minister of Agriculture, Ghazi Zeaiter, Ambassador of Italy, Massimo Marotti, CDR President, Nabil Jisr, Director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), Donatella Procesi, and by the director of CIHEAM Bari, Maurizio Raeli. The project “Strengthening and enhancing the quality of olive oil chain in Lebanon” is the third phase of an initiative implemented by CIHEAM Bari in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, funded by Italian Cooperation. This third phase, with a duration of 18 months and with a one-million-euro loan, aims to encourage generating incomes for olive oil through support for producer and merchant associations. The “Master Plan for Sustainable Development of the Lebanese Coast” initiative will last for one year and will be implemented by CDR and CIHEAM Bari in collaboration with the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture. The study for the implementation of the master plan is funded by the Italian Cooperation with a contribution of € 0.5 million and will identify the synergies with all the institutions and stakeholders and define, through a participatory approach, the opportunities for most significant income generation in the most socioeconomically vulnerable coastal areas, particularly among fishermen’s communities. The objective is to draft a “Master Plan Document”, inspired by the principles of sustainability, social inclusion and social enterprises. This document will be shared with the institutions and interested parties and then become the supporting document for a 10 million euro loan from the Italian government to Lebanon for the purpose of implementing the identified initiatives. (Red)
