FAO introducing Quinoa to Lebanon’s agriculture systems

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched a regional project for technical assistance for the introduction of quinoa and the institutionalization of its production in a number of countries in the MENA region, namely: Lebanon, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Mauritania, Sudan and Yemen. Hence, the first farmers’ field days were held in Lebanon, last Wednesday, in Tal Amara and Kfardan, in coordination with the Lebanese Agriculture Research Institute (LARI), together with the Ministry of Agriculture. Other workshops, training sessions and field days will be organized for farmers and agronomists during the project’s implementation period.  The organization said in a statement, issued at the beginning of the implementation of the project, that it included Lebanon with other countries in the project at the request of the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture. FAO explained that the project will assist Lebanon in assessing potentials for adopting quinoa, fostering and strengthening the transfer of knowledge and competencies so as to build and develop local capacities, and in developing a basis for a national sustainable strategy for the integration of quinoa in the farming systems.
 Source: Al-Akhbar, Al-Nahar, The Daily Star 12 September 2014