Transforming the food system

This project was completed in 2025. 

The agricultural sector in Lebanon, despite its considerable potential and the largest arable land area in the Arab world, suffers from structural weaknesses, market barriers, and deeply rooted social inequalities. For many low-income families, this has led to an increasing dependence on cheap, nutrient-poor foods. 

Adding to these challenges are the burdens of political, social, and economic crises, along with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating Beirut explosion in 2020. Rising inflation and currency devaluation have significantly restricted access to nutritious food, leaving 42% of the population in a state of acute food insecurity. The ongoing military offensive in the south of the country is likely to further exacerbate this critical situation. 

To address these challenges, Helvetas is partnering with the Lebanese NGO Mada and the community-led initiative Nation Station to establish a sustainable and equitable food system. The project aims to provide people affected by the crises in Beirut—especially children, refugees, internally displaced persons, and other vulnerable groups—with nutritious, locally and ecologically produced food. 

A central element of the project is the support of Nation Station's community kitchen, which operates on a solidarity model: revenue from catering services and events enables the free distribution of meals to those in need. Under the project, Nation Station’s capacities are being expanded to diversify its offerings and better align its services with the needs of disadvantaged groups and low-income consumers. 

In addition, local small-scale farmers are supported in transitioning to agroecological farming methods to promote sustainable and self-sufficient agriculture. Demonstration plots in the agriculturally active regions of Chouf and Bekaa serve as platforms for learning and exchanging sustainable cultivation techniques, which will help secure small farmers' livelihoods in the long term and promote independence from imported products. Furthermore, they receive support in accessing fair markets, such as the “Souk el Mawsam” market, where they can sell their products directly to consumers at fair prices. The goal is to encourage solidarity-based exchange between producers and consumers and to contribute to Lebanon’s food security in the long run. 

By establishing an alternative, fair, and future-oriented food system, the project lays the foundation for sustainable agriculture and a more equitable distribution of resources. 

The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.