Background

The ILO through the EIIP is partnering with Green Plan to respond to the reduced livelihood and food security levels resulted from the Syrian crisis, the economic downturn and the COVID19 pandemic, and tackles its negative impact on the host communities, through the support to the agriculture infrastructure development in small mountainous exploitations, thus improving the agricultural productivity and the farmer's income in addition to the creation of employment opportunities for both host communities and displaced Syrians. The project will secure soil and water conservation where natural resources are subject to overexploitation and degradation.  

Infrastructure improvement

The Project will generate green jobs through green works that contribute to environmental preservation and improvement and land reclamation for enhanced agricultural and economic productivity. These activities will target vital agricultural infrastructure on private farmlands including terracing, retaining walls, irrigation networks and water cisterns. This will be done in support of local farmers who have suffered from the economic crisis and disruptions through the COVID-19 outbreak to reclaim land that has been unproductive and to increase yields, supporting the agro-food supply chain, while at the same time generating short term job opportunities for vulnerable Lebanese families and Syrian refugees.

Employment generation

The project will create new employment and income opportunities summing up to around 80,000 workdays targeting 800 small-scale farms. The job opportunities can de divided into 3 different levels: 1)Short-term construction work (e.g. construction of retaining walls and water reservoirs, etc.), 2) seasonal employment for agriculture workers; 3) increased income for farmers as a result of higher productivity and production.