The Moawad Foundation nurtures the North

An Agricultural Centre, new fruit trees, quality olive oil… the Moawad Foundation works on promoting the agricultural sector in Northern Lebanon. In partnership with the European Union. How does it work?

In addition to their work in the sanitary, education and social fields, the Moawad Foundation lays much emphasis on agriculture and manages it in a way that promotes the well-being of the rural inhabitants of the North. For more than 10 years, this foundation has worked on enlarging this production according to sound standards of health and safety dictated by the environmental European guidelines.

Fady Yarak, director of the Foundation, reveals that the agricultural project started with a funding from the European Community in order to create a nursery of forest and fruit trees. This project came true with the creation of the Agricultural Center of the North, aiming at reducing the cost of production, reviving agricultural co-ops, forming farmers and connecting them with the market.

In this respect, a number of activities focusing on the environment have been introduced. The Agricultural Centre of the North provides the farmers with agricultural machines and equipment, as well as refrigerating zones to ensure the best and healthiest milieu for stocking their production. It is also a learning center for those farmers, with European instructors coming regularly to initiate them into the new technologies implemented in Europe. New fruit trees plantations certified in Europe such as apples, pears, nectarines and peaches, have been introduced in the region thanks to this centre.

Collecting the means
In the framework of a project introducing new technologies in handling the pasture, a leading company in the region received for instance a new race of goats to be raised in-close. On this matter, Yarak reiterates that these animals are part of the ecosystem: goats that crop plants and grass deliberately in the nature ruin baby plantations and contribute to desertification.

In order to reach the best training of farmers in accordance with the European standards, the Agricultural Centre of the North signed contracts with both Corfilac, a center for research and evaluation of dairy products in Sicily, and the CIC, Caprine International Centre, of Poitou-Charentes in France.

This centre also receives technical aid from Adepta (association of producers of French equipment and machines) and from Cirad (a research centre specialized in fruit trees) to improve the quality of production of fruits and vegetables. It is important to note that the Agricultural Centre of the North is one of very few centers that squeeze olives in compliance with the European standards of quality.

From producers to consumers
“The Agricultural Centre of the North also provides services such as bottling-up and packaging, so that the production reaches its final destination, the market, in the best way possible” explains Yarak. “This centre also works on sorting fruits and vegetables, and gathering farm products, making them ready for their final transformation. A distributing company linked to the centre works on supplying the market with the products after they have been tested in the laboratories of the centre. The electro-mechanical equipment for all this work is provided by Europe, namely Italy and Spain”, adds Yarak.

And Yarak to conclude, “Trainees from European universities regularly visit the centre to inform the farmers about the guidelines of quality production to follow before the final product reaches the consumer.”

Today, the annual budget of the Moawad Foundation is 5 million US dollars. It could be relatively very little compared to other foundations; however, it’s by far better compared to what it was previously.

Fifi Abou Dib
Journalist
(Excerpts from Cahiers Euromed, 2005)