Recommendations for extending social protection to rural Lebanon

The United National Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued last week a number of recommendations on ways for extending social protection to agricultural communities in Lebanon. This step followed the organisation of a workshop entitled ‘Support of social protection policies for rural and agricultural communities’ which was sponsored by Minister Akram Shehayeb and which addressed two key issues, notably: the significance of social protection in enhancing the living standards of farmers, present legislations and draft laws proposals aiming to develop social conditions in rural areas. Participants during the workshop also discussed the roles of farmers’ solidarity funds, agricultural cooperatives and trade unions, in securing social protection and came out with the following recommendations:

-         Harmonize all data produced by the ministry of agriculture in order to achieve an integrated classification of farmers so as to allow them access to existing social, agricultural and health services.

-         Conduct feasibility studies on ways of providing social protection coverage for farmers through the Social Security Fund and mutual cooperative funds

-         Provide social protection for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged farmers in rural areas, in collaboration with the ministries of agriculture and social affairs, and in the framework of the World Bank supported ‘poverty project’

-         Develop benchmarks and guidelines of decent work, safety and health for agriculture, in coordination with the above ministries and the ILO .(Al Diyar, February 6, 2016)