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In a global context of rising food insecurity, partly due to negative consequences of the war in Ukraine, partly due to the effects of climate change, Lebanon is suffering from a major food security crisis, with more than half of its population classified as food insecure. This crisis is exacerbated by political instability, lack of industrial production, poor infrastructure, persistent conflict and high volatility. The agricultural sector as key actor for food security has been neglected for a long time, plagued further by financial mismanagement and lack of political stability. This has caused a situation in Lebanon, in which more and more households are cutting staple foods from their shopping and a reducing their diets since they can no longer afford the necessary products due to soaring prices. And as so often, the most vulnerable parts of society are the ones hit hardest.

In this context, Executive Magazine devoted two special reports to the themes of food security and agro-entrepreneurship" in partnership with the Regional Programme on Energy Security and Climate Change Middle East and North Africa (KAS-REMENA). The two editions highlight the complex challenges related to food security, safety and availability as well as the agricultural sector in Lebanon, while at the same time also providing a view towards potentials and hopeful developments, particularly driven by a new generation of agro-entrepreneurs.

Two expert roundtables brought together experts on food security, food safety and agriculture, representatives from administration and private sector organizations as well as entrepreneurs to discuss these challenges and potential levers for a more food secure and sustainable situation in Lebanon.

The first expert roundtable on food security on December 5, 2022, focused on the pillars of food security for the Lebanese people and the development of agricultural sector output and exports for strengthening the economy. It shed light on the food security principles and relevant stakeholder groups in Lebanon and enabled a debate of existing and needed institutions as well as plans and strategies. Based on these discussions, preliminary recommendations for the transition of the agricultural sector from strategic undernourishment towards sustainable performance and an expanding contribution to national GDP were discussed.

The second expert roundtable on agro-entrepreneurship on December 6, 2022, served to illuminate positive examples of a developing start-up scene in the agro-food sector and to discuss the needs and lessons of agro-entrepreneurs.  To this end, the expert roundtable featured testimonies from agro-entrepreneurs and discussions on their direct and indirect  support systems in order to examine the gaps and opportunities in enabling frameworks from access to finance to implementation of future-proof infrastructures such as renewable energy.