Lebanon’s agriculture sector suffers with climate change

By Mona Alami - NOW Lebanon
The earth's climate has been relatively stable for centuries, and the Lebanese have gotten used to sweltering summers and cold, damp winters. However, in recent years climate patterns have changed rapidly, affecting water supply, wildlife and crops in the country. Successive Lebanese governments, however, have made few serious efforts to address the problems, citing “more pressing” political needs to be attended to.

But when a stable climate system is modified beyond its tipping point, it falls out of balance, threatening humanity at large in the long run, said Wael Hmaidan, executive director of civil society group IndyAct. He is attending the Copenhagen conference on climate change taking place in the Danish capital from December 7 to 18. Environment Minister Mohammad Rahhal, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and a delegation also attended the conference.
 
But global warming also has disastrous short-term impacts, especially on the agriculture sector. Droughts are becoming more frequent, and less water means farmers are having trouble irrigating their crops. “We have started rationing water… especially during certain extremely hot periods, such as in August,” said Ramzi Ghosn, owner of Massaya winery. Despite this year’s already-abundant rainfall, water levels have been significantly below normal over the past three years, he told NOW.

Hmaidan, citing United Nations data, predicts serious desertification to take place over the next few decades, causing agricultural output to decline. Ghosn confirms that at his vineyard in the eastern part of the Bekaa Valley, he now has to water young vines for the first two years after planting to ensure proper development, a process that was unnecessary only a few years ago. “Warmer weather is certainly affecting the wines, which are losing their vigor,” he said.
 
“We are also seeing changes in rain pattern and distribution throughout the year,” Hmaidan said. Indeed, “heavy, unpredictable rains have been forcing us to harvest a few days later than usual to allow the land and fruits to dry,” said Nayla Bitar, owner of the Côteaux de Botrys winery. 

Changes in temperature also lead to changes in atmospheric pressure and soil quality, which affect the development patterns of certain plants, insects and fungi.  “We are also witnessing the appearance of new diseases and pests that are attacking plants,” Hmaidan said.

Imad Bsat, agricultural engineer and owner of B-Fresh Produce, says that in 2007, extreme weather conditions across the Bekaa Valley led to a significant decrease in the output of fruit trees.

A report published by a team of researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Labs and Stanford University confirmed the negative repercussions of climate change on agriculture. The researchers compared yields for the world's six main staple crops – wheat, rice, corn, soybeans, barley and sorghum – and found that there was a 3% to 5% decline for every one degree of temperature increase. The study noted that the six crops account for at least 55% of non-meat calories consumed by people across the world, and more than 70% of the world's animal feed.

Already in Europe and other parts of the world, crop production has moved north, threatening agricultural sectors in many southern countries. If the same were to happen in Lebanon, the consequences to Lebanese farmers would be devastating.

But the agriculture sector isn’t just a victim of temperature increase, it is also a contributor.  According to the website of the Food and Agriculture Organization, fertilizers are a major source of nitrous oxide emissions and also contaminate the soil and pollute water reserves. Livestock production also accounts for a significant portion of the world’s methane emissions. When animals like cows, sheep and goats digest their food, they produce methane, a process that results in about 80 million tons of gas entering the atmosphere every year. “This figure will be rising to 128 million tons in 2030,” the organization predicts.
 
Climate change threatens every country of the world, whether or not local governments take action. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have taken note of the danger and have launched a major food security initiative in cooperation with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in which they will buy up agricultural land in fertile countries. Despite its looming farming crisis, Lebanon has been targeted for land buyouts.

Whether the land becomes too dry to yield good produce or whether it is bought by Gulf countries, the Lebanese agricultural sector is in for some serious changes. Is Lebanon preparing itself enough for the changes to come?