In order to build agricultural infrastructure for food security, UNIFIL supported local communities in south-eastern Lebanon with labour-saving agricultural equipment and tools last week.

The UNIFIL support – which included 16 tractors, 16 lawnmowers, 56 chain saws, 30 wheelbarrows, 30 shovels, 30 portable sprayers, 30 brushes, 30 forks, 30 garden hoes and 30 steel picks – will benefit seven local municipalities within the Arkoub Union of Municipalities: Shab’a, Kfar Shouba, El Mei, Hebbariye, El Fardiss, Kfar Hammam and Rachaya Al Foukhar.

Funded through UNIFIL’s Quick Impact Project (QIP) programme, the support is expected to enhance the livelihood of residents by reducing the cost of farming and encourage more people to start planting their fields. It is especially critical now as Lebanon goes through multiple crises.

At a symbolic ceremony held on 3 September and attended by local mayors and officials, UNIFIL Indian Battalion Commander Colonel Mohver Singh Grewal handed over the equipment and tools to the head of Arkoub Union of Municipalities, Mohammad Saab. The beneficiaries hail from the areas under the responsibility of UNIFIL Indian peacekeepers.

Mr. Saab expressed his gratitude for UNIFIL’s efforts in supporting the agricultural sector in the area, which ensures food security.

The latest UNIFIL support is the continuation of similar endeavours from the mission to assist host communities in south Lebanon.

UNIFIL QIPs are small-scale, rapidly implementable projects that aim to address some of the most pressing needs of the host population and support local authorities while strengthening links between UNIFIL and local communities.

(UN Photo / Sergeant Sibi Idikula – UNIFIL Indian Contingent)