Land reclamation - briefing note
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Lebanon is a small country with several agro-ecological zones and agriculture arable land estimated at 231 000 ha. The most fertile and productive lands are located in the Bekaa Valley, the Plain of Akkar and the thin strip of coastal plains. In other hilly and mountainous regions, most of the slopes have been carved into agriculture terraces for centuries. Mountain agriculture is characterized by small holdings sustaining poor farmers and a large number of households for whom agriculture is a secondary source of income.
Land reclamation and terracing are considered as cultural heritage, a key traditional know-how in soil and water conservation and a major infrastructure in controlling soil erosion and land degradation on mountain slopes. The diminishing development of such erosion control measures due to high costs and weak financial capacities of farmers has forced many small holders to abandon their land.