Improving the Early Warning System for Lebanese agriculture
A new Early Warning System (EWS) to optimize irrigation and water management in Lebanese agriculture was presented to potential donors. The results of a comprehensive needs assessment conducted by the Lebanese Agriculture Research Institute (LARI) with support from the EU funded ClimaSouth project, were presented at a workshop hosted by the European Union Delegation on 6th of February in Beirut, Lebanon. The overall objective of the proposed upgrade of the agricultural EWS is to improve agrometeorological monitoring throughout the country, in order to support farmers in attenuating damages that could be caused by destructive climatic conditions. Representatives of national and donor Institutions attending the workshop were also briefed on the ongoing training sessions targeting LARI researchers and technicians, conducted with support from the ClimaSouth project.
The projected economic impact of climate change on Lebanese agriculture is anticipated to be severe. Due to the changes in climate currently predicted, the value of farm production may fall by about USD 80 million by 2020, hitting the country’s strategic crops, namely cereals, fruit trees, olives, sugar beet, tobacco and potatoes. Ms Yara Daou of the Lebanese Ministry of Environment explained that “ this reduction would ripple through the economy, with the manufacturing and services sectors, combined, experiencing a reduction in production of about USD 220 million. The overall reduction in GDP would total USD 300 million.”
Enhancing the capacity of human resources is the key to improving the Lebanese Early Warning System. The existing EWS already supports farmers in managing the impacts of climate variability on their activities, by sharing meteorological information via SMS, smartphone and web-based applications. Subscribers to these service are currently more than 14,000. The proposal for the future improvement and expansion of the LARI EWS was presented by Andrea Di Vecchia from the ClimaSouth project. The main elements will focus on extensive training and capacity building measures enhancing the irrigation and plant protection components of the early warning system, while improving climate data analysis for improved seasonal and local scale forecasting.
Workshop presentations: Ministry of Environment | Lebanese Agriculture Research Institute | ClimaSouth project 1 & 2 |