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Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2023

Food in time of crises. The case of Lebanon

Résumé

On August 4, 2020, Beirut was the victim of a double explosion of unprecedented intensity that further weakened the country on the brink of collapse. This dramatic episode is unfortunately one of the many crises that hit the country: financial, political, social, economic and health crises. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine only exacerbated the existing dramatic situation, and above all revealed tensions in different sectors that have not been much tackled in the Lebanese context, notably the food sector. The depreciation of the Lebanese pound and the difficulties in importing food raise important challenges. While there is no talk of famine yet, there are signs of a deep crisis in the food system. Thus, in the review of the Lebanese Response Program to the Syrian Crisis (Government of Lebanon and UNHCR, 2020), it is estimated that in June 2020, 19% of the Lebanese population has an inadequate diet, while 49% of the Syrian population in Lebanon and 90% of the Palestinians coming from Syria are food insecure. Moreover, the confinement of the population has modified consumption habits, and induced disruptions in the production, processing, logistics and marketing chains, which caused an imbalance in most food systems. Within the framework of SAR_Li (For a resilient and sustainable food system in Lebanon), a research program funded by the ANR, such ruptures and bifurcations in food practices were studied, the policies adopted were analyzed, and the role of different public or private actors was addressed. On one hand, we conducted a consumer survey in Bourj Hammoud, a neighborhood of Beirut, with an estimated population of 90,000 people covering an area of 2.4 km2. It is a major logistical, economic and mobility hub, and a densely populated residential area marked by the reception of refugee populations (historically Armenians, now nationalized, and today Syrians) as well as a cosmopolitan population of migrant workers and refugees. It is home to a high concentration of vulnerable populations with high levels of food and nutritional insecurity. On the other hand, qualitative interviews were conducted in Zahle (an agricultural region in Central Bekaa bordering Syria) to analyze the entanglement of policies affecting food. The region is specialized in fruits and vegetables with high commercial value, whose production is mainly sold in coastal cities and exported. Although Central Bekaa has many agricultural resources, its food system remains fragile and vulnerable. The study interpreted the representations and discourses of the different actors regarding the current challenges for food issues and their solutions, and the adaptation measures undertaken by those actors to face the crises. Two forms of adaptation measures are discussed and show the new trajectories of a food system in response to the deep crises.

Domaines

Géographie
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Dates et versions

hal-04514945 , version 1 (21-03-2024)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-04514945 , version 1

Citer

Jean-Louis Yengué, Christiane Sfeir, Jihad Farah, Sherin Assaf, Pierre Kamdem, et al.. Food in time of crises. The case of Lebanon. Crises alimentaires : défis, innovations et changements durables, Institut Européen d’Histoire et des Cultures de l’Alimentation, Dec 2023, Tours, France. ⟨hal-04514945⟩
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