A pilot cooperative in Akkar involved in agriculture for sustainable growth

An Nahar newspaper published a report about the Rural Development and Agro-industry Cooperative in Akkar-Dinnyeh and which was established by the Safadi Foundation in Deir Dulum in Akkar.  This region is considered to be the prime agricultural region of North Lebanon; a region which relies on agriculture as its major economic resource.  The cooperative organisation is working within the slogan of “agriculture for sustainable growth”  which, according to As Safadi general director Riad Alameddine aims at achieving the following: building and strengthening the capacities of farmers and their families, creating new economic opportunities to curtail rural migration to urban areas and  increasing farmers’ competitiveness through strengthening the quality of their production chain, facilitating access to local and external markets, in addition to safeguarding a healthy environment and to encouraging sustainable agriculture.
The cooperative is currently involved in several activities through its four divisions which include a) a centre to process agricultural products that produces and markets pomegranate molasses, b) a packaging centre for citrus fruits as well as other fruits that is operating according to international standards and exporting to KSA, UAE, Syria and Iraq, c) a honey processing workshop which receives the raw supply from farmers and then processed into honey discs and jars, and finally d) a greenhouse for hydroponics cultivation which was set up with funding from the USAID and which aims to introduce farmers to this new agriculture technologies.  With regards to the latter, the cooperative has noted that in 2013, more than 90 farmers were able to have a first harvest of pepper bells of various colors.  In addition, the vertical farming technology will soon be used to plant strawberries.
Source: Al-Nahar 22 January 2014