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TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE AGRICULTURAL POLICY QUESTION IN LEBANON

التبويبات الأساسية

Dany A.H. DOUEIRI

 

Univ.

University of California,

 Los Angeles

Spec.

Agricultural Economics

Dip.

Year

# Pages

Ph.D.

1996

275

 

 

Problem: Lebanese public officials confirm that Lebanon never developed an agricultural policy. Consequently, an analysis of the agricultural sector reflects that it is facing a steady decline. Production levels in the 1990s are the same as those in the 1960s. Rural migration is high and environmental degradation continues to threaten the livelihood of the population. The agricultural sector contributed 11 percent of the country's GNP in 1995 down from 60 percent five decades ago.

 

Method: This study undertakes an inter‑disciplinary approach to explain the factors behind the failure to develop a comprehensive agricultural policy. Four major areas are investigated, the environmental, the historical, the economic, and the socio‑ political factors. The water question is thoroughly investigated in each of the four factors.

 

Conclusion: A sound agricultural policy cannot be formulated unless a comprehensive approach is sought. Policy‑makers would be simply treating the symptoms not the causes of a deeply‑rooted, multi­faceted problem. Lebanon's declining agricultural sector is not only affected by its internal problems, but also by regional and international forces. Among the regional and international factors, the influence of Syrian and Israeli politics on Lebanon is the highest. In addition, as the cost of water in the Middle East increases and its availability decreases, special effort should be given in distributing it fairly to avoid military conflicts. Developing the agricultural sector is not only a question of learning and evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of monocropping, polycropping, irrigation, and sustainable agriculture. Nor is it an economic exercise of testing price policy measures and subsidies. Rather , it requires a unified approach where integrated pest management (IPM) is as important as integrated rural development, and where comprehensive econonnic measures for improving agricultural production should meet the national objectives of food policy.