Beirut: The Ministry of Agriculture of Lebanon (MoA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have formalized a new Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) to initiate preparations for Lebanon's forthcoming Agricultural Census.
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, the agreement signifies the launch of an essential preparatory phase aimed at overhauling Lebanon's agricultural data systems. This initiative addresses the urgent requirement for updated data, given that the last Agricultural Census in the country was conducted in 2010, which has rendered current information on farm structures and rural livelihoods obsolete.
Accurate and up-to-date agricultural data are crucial for evidence-based planning, effective policymaking, and sustainable rural development. The new 18-month project will prioritize establishing the legal and institutional framework for the census while enhancing the technical capacities of Ministry staff in accordance with the latest international methodologies outlined in the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2030.
This TCP is a significant step towards achieving a detailed, evidence-based understanding of Lebanon's agricultural sector, ensuring more informed, resilient, and sustainable agri-food systems in the future.
Through this collaborative initiative, FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture reaffirm their joint commitment to strengthening agricultural statistics in Lebanon to support planning, policy design, research and innovation, and the monitoring of agriculture's environmental impact.