About 1.5 million Lebanese residents and 700,000 Syrian refugees are food insecure, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) office in the country.
In a comprehensive analysis, the entity saw a worsening of the situation between January and April this year, with a number of more than two million 26,000 citizens in a phase of crisis due to the impossibility of ensuring food.
The troubling reality of food security is the result of a deep three-year economic collapse due to currency devaluation, lifting of subsidies and rising cost of living preventing families from obtaining enough food and other essential necessities.
In this vein, FAO representative in Lebanon, Nora Ourabah Haddad, highlighted the urgency of transforming the country’s agri-food systems to make them more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
A study conducted last September by 55 national experts found that the northern district of Akkar has the highest level of acute food insecurity among Lebanese residents, followed by Baabda, Baalbek and Tripoli.
Meanwhile, among the Syrian refugees, Zahle is the district with the greatest problems, followed by Baalbek and Akkar.
Referring to this panorama, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Imran Riza, stressed that the nation cannot cope with the consequences of food insecurity and called for increased support for farmers and businesses.
For his part, Lebanese Agriculture Minister Abbas Haj Hassan called for additional help from the international community to alleviate the plight of vulnerable populations.
Lebanon is grappling with its worst economic and financial crisis in modern times, with no President of the Republic, a fragmented parliament and an interim cabinet with limited constitutional powers.
jf/yma