Since 2005, Safadi Foundation has been working with farmers and their families in rural areas on building their capacities in sustainable agriculture, in order to create economic opportunities, ensure quality production and amplify farmers’ competitiveness. This fact led in increasing farmers’ access to labor and new markets, and subsequently assisted in maintaining healthy environment and reducing rural exodus.

"Women Active in Rural Economic Development" is one of the development projects being implemented recently in Akkar, and consists of three main components: (i) establishment of aromatic plants production units to ensure additional income throughout the year; (ii) creation of water and essential oil extraction unit to improve commercial value of agricultural products; and (iii) implementation of three women-led grassroots initiatives.

The first component includes selection of women beneficiaries who will later receive seedlings and irrigation systems to establish their production units, in addition to several trainings on personal development and participation, and crop management in order to become able to manage these units. Consequently, technical assistance will be carried out to ensure proper management of home-based units.

The second component consists of establishing water and essential oil extraction unit in order to allow women beneficiaries processing their production adding value to their product. B to B linkages will follow extraction to facilitate marketing of end-products.

The third component includes the implementation of three women-led grassroots initiatives. Women will have their capacities build in community leadership and they will be offered hands-on experience so that they can apply these newly acquired skills. This will build the confidence they need to recognize that they can play an effective role in their communities and in creating impact for their fellow citizens. Selected beneficiaries will design and implement their own small projects, further strengthening their understanding and capacities to become women leaders.

Therefore, Safadi Foundation is requiring the expertise of a Monitoring Officer to properly assess the success and impact of the selected community projects.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is currently implementing a project funded by the Lebanese Government.

The project is entitled: “Promotion of Good Agricultural Practices, Including Integrated Pest Management, and aims to Reduce Agrochemical Pollution in Upper Litani Basin (UTF/LEB/028/LEB)”. The project is being implemented by the FAO in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture. It responds to the pollution of the Lake Quaraoun caused by the excessive use of chemical agricultural inputs such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Namlieh, a women marketing cooperative, is urgently recruiting an administrative manager to support its growing catering services. The post holder will be located at Namlieh main premises in Fern Shebbak.

POSITION OBJECTIVE: As a an accelerator manager you will play an advisory and guidance role to startups in the Agrytech Accelerator program. You will be heavily involved in the business growth and assisting the startups in connecting them to resources to help them in the technical aspects of product development from prototyping to finished products and provide strategic guidance to team members in ways that promote the organization’s culture and program objectives. Ensuring the day-to-day smooth running of the program, with high levels of client satisfaction focusing on creating the best possible environment in which smart agri-food related startups can grow and succeed.

This is a mid-career opportunity, it requires a team player with leadership qualities, excellent communication skills, a professional and positive attitude, organization and dependability. This is a challenging role but at the same time makes available endless opportunities and learning.

Reporting to:     Program Manager

Who are we 

Concern Worldwide is a non-governmental international humanitarian organisation, and was founded in 1968. Concern Worldwide currently operates in a number of countries across the globe, with its Head Office in Dublin. We work with the poor and vulnerable in the world’s poorest countries to help them bring about long-lasting change in their lives and realise their fundamental human rights; to food, to health, to education, and ultimately to a life of dignity. Together with local and international partners, and with the beneficiaries themselves, we respond to emergencies and undertake long term development work.  We work across the world to promote a better understanding of extreme poverty, and we campaign for local and global action that will help reduce this.

Job Summary

Concern Worldwide is seeking a candidate for the position of Livelihoods – Food Processing Specialist to be based in Halba, Akkar, Lebanon. Concern Worldwide Lebanon Livelihoods program is designed around three themes: Skill building and income generation, Sustainable Agriculture, and Micro & Small enterprise Development. Concern Lebanon aims to decrease household economic vulnerability and reliance on harmful coping strategies by increasing access to livelihoods and protection information and skills; home-based income-generating activities; and training and career guidance linked to savings and protection for adolescents. Under the direct guidance of the Livelihoods Program Manager, the Food Processing Specialist will support the implementation of Concern’s dairy production and processing project. The Food Processing Specialist will provide technical expertise and recommendations on the design of the project and the implementation of its activities.  S/he will support in all aspects of project management including coordination with other actors, financial and procurement processes in order to ensure agreed objectives are effectively met and in a timely manner. Concern is looking for an individual with demonstrable technical knowledge and professional experience in the dairy production and processing sectors. S/he will have solid project management experience and experience working in dairy-based agriculture and/or food processing and may have experience with working in non-profit or public institutes on livelihoods programmes.

Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e. V.  along with Concern Worldwide have jointly launched a 2.5 year project, titled, “Strengthening the Resilience of Refugees and Host Communities Impacted by the Syria Crisis ” funded by Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, BMZ (In English: federal ministry for economic cooperation and development). The project is intended to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable individuals and communities impacted by the Syria Crisis through integrated community infrastructure rehabilitation, protection and livelihood interventions.

In one of the objective of the project 1500 Syrian workers will be benefitting by improving their Livelihoods and increasing their knowledge on Keyhole gardens principles and nutrition quality.

Individual trainers preferably with strong training and preferably agriculture background and are needed to conduct farmer field schools extension approach in Akkar.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is currently implementing in close collaboration with the Green Plan a project funded by the Dutch Government “Promotion of Agricultural Livelihoods and Employment through Investment in Land Reclamation and Water Reservoirs – OSRO/LEB/602/NET”. The project responds to the reduced livelihood and food security levels resulted from the Syrian crisis. It tackles its negative impact on the host communities through the support to the agriculture infrastructure development in small mountainous exploitations, and improving the agricultural productivity and the farmers’ income, in addition to the creation of employment opportunities for both host communities and Syrian displaced.

The project aims as well to build the capacities of Green Plan to assist poor farmers in deploying agriculture infrastructure, as well as to contribute to the implementation of the new Green Plan Strategy Plan 2015-2019 in sustaining rural livelihood while improving water and soil conservation.

Expertise France, the French technical cooperation agency, has been entrusted by the European Union with a major Private Sector Development Programme in Lebanon. This programme is structured around three different components:

1. Component 1: agribusiness value chains in the Bekaa and Akkar.

 2. Component 2: wood Processing value chain in Tripoli (with focus on furniture production).

 3. Component 3: access to finance.

The programme aims to increase micro, small and medium enterprises competitiveness, productivity and participation in the economy by fostering their development and integration into value chains.

The specific objective of the programme is to provide integrated nonfinancial and financial intermediation services to groups of Micro and SMEs in the agribusiness and wood processing sectors through the establishment, management and operation of market-oriented value chains and clusters, with special focus on enhancement of productivity and competitiveness. Value chains and clusters are considered as the most appropriate specific approach for achieving concrete results in terms of effective inter-business, inter-sectoral and private/public institutional linkages.

 The expected outputs are:

1. MSMEs are reorganised into stronger groups for a more efficient and cost-effective use of inputs and resources

2. Market positioning and market access of MSMEs in the targeted sectors are expanded

3. Access to finance is facilitated for needed investments; available funding instruments are better used

4. New jobs and inclusive employment are created as a result of increased production and sales

As regards to the agribusiness component in the Bekaa, the inception phase diagnostics research has identified the below main activities of relevance to the enhancement of productivity and competitiveness of tables grapes and cherry value chains. 

A1.1 Setting up a Value Chain Information System

A1.2 Promoting marketing, sales and communications

A1.3 Business support to producers

A1.4 Technical support to producers

A1.5 Business and technical support to exporters and post-harvest

The implementation of these activities will be ensured either directly by the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Zahle (CCIAZ) has been awarded a grant to accomplish the tasks expected of it or through the recruitment of dedicated operators by Expertise France.