Lebanon—Industry Value Chain Development (LIVCD)

Lebanese agricultural products have the potential to compete well in regional and international markets; however many products require improvements in terms of quality and specifications to meet customer demand, leveraging the country’s significant assets and abundant talented human resources. In addition, the country is affected by the regional crisis, particularly in rural areas.

The Lebanon Industry Value Chain Development (LIVCD) was a six-year project under the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future initiative. By facilitating 211 public-private partnerships and generating $140 million in sales by Lebanese farmers and companies, LIVCD strengthened the agriculture and agro-processing sectors and supported Lebanese products to become more competitive in both domestic and international markets. The project started with comprehensive and consultative evaluations of potential value chains for project interventions, to identify constraints and pinpoint windows for development opportunities.

Instrumental to sustainability and partner buy-in, LIVCD held a cost-sharing philosophy where prospective partners contributed at least a 25 to 50 percent cost share, often even more. The project used facilitation techniques and targeted in-kind and technical support to craft private sector-led, Lebanese-owned interventions. LIVCD provided $14 million in technical support and grants across nine value chains that stimulated innovation; generated $41 million in private sector and farmers’ leveraged investments; and trained 1,255 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on ways to access finance and loans, 103 of which successfully obtained bank loans or private equity. LIVCD both raised awareness of financing options and helped individual companies with their loan applications. This support resulted in $19 million in loans disbursed to LIVCD beneficiaries during the life of the project.

LIVCD improved the competitiveness and value of products and served both local and export markets by increasing the quality, quantity, and consistency of Lebanese products and companies.

Watch other videos of entrepreneurs who were assisted by the project.

Sample Activities

• Increase rural incomes, support rural employment, and expand export sales in processed foods, rural tourism, floriculture, grapes, olive oil, apples, pears, avocados, cherries, and a basket of rural agricultural products including thyme, pine nuts, honey, and free-range eggs.
• Build linkages between farmers, producers, input suppliers, processors, service providers, traders, transporters, retailers, packers, distributors, exporters, and ending with consumers.
• Strengthen coalition of local actors to ensure that economic benefits from rural tourism remain in those communities.
• Facilitate access to markets and to financing opportunities for rural actors through public-private partnerships and co-investments in order to increase income of the rural population and promote rural wealth creation.
• Provide technical assistance to disseminate innovative agricultural practices and technologies and build capacities through customized training for micro, small, and medium enterprises, and farmers.

Select Results

• Generated $41 million in private sector and farmers’ leveraged investments.
• Helped 8,402 farmers to apply improved technologies or management practices.
• Trained 10,370 individuals.
• Trained 1,255 micro, small, and medium enterprises on ways to access finance and loans.