Surge of new uncoordinated farming initiatives in South Lebanon

In its issue of July 11, Al Akhbar wrote that with the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and the escalating financial and economic crisis, many Lebanese returned to their villages in the South encouraged by local municipal initiatives that distributed seedlings for the reclamation of neglected land. On the subject, the newspaper spoke to farmer Hussein Awada, in his sixties, who lamented unorganized farming in his town of Khiyam which largely depends on the personal experience of farmers. It is mainly done in the absence of agricultural extension and government support, specifically in terms of provision of irrigation of lands far from Dardara spring, in addition to the mushrooming illegal constructions and the spread of pollution resulting from the disruption of the wastewater treatment plant near Marjeyoun. Likewise, farmer Hassan Ayoub from Houla, regretted that he cannot water part of the crops he grew due to the continuous interruption of water. He said nearly 70% of the town’s residents returned to agriculture, and enthusiasm increased especially after Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s call to this end. The first problem to be addressed, Ayoub added, is the ill-managed distribution of water on the towns in the area. For his part, the mayor of Aitroun, Salim Murad, explained that the remarkable demand for cultivation was unplanned and disorganized. Many crops were hit by drought and diseases because of the inexperience of farmers in choosing the seedlings and grains, in addition to water scarcity. (For more info, kindly visit the link below: https://bit.ly/3fBlRcV). (Al Akhbar, July 11, 2020)