Co-operatives play a critical role in Lebanon, particularly in rural areas – but their future has come under threat during the country’s conflict with Israel.
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 128,000 business units have been damaged in South Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley region since late 2024. That amounts to 55% of surveyed businesses, mostly in food and agriculture.
The UNDP has now shared its actions to help co-operatives rebuild through its Emergency and Recovery Support Programme, supported with money from France.
Spread across four support packages, the programme included grants for repairs and equipment; technical assistance for women-led co-ops; an e-commerce platform to connect co-ops with both new markets and online sales; plus institutional support to help the General Directorate of Co-operatives upgrade its IT equipment and facilities. A total of US$791,958 (£594,000) in reconstruction grants was provided, which the UNDP said sits alongside further funding for “investments in digital tools and capacity building”.
Most of the co-op receiving grants came from the most heavily affected areas – 60% of them in South Lebanon and Nabatieh, close to the Israeli border. The UNDP says many of these produce key goods for Lebanon, including za’atar, honey, olive oil and jams.
For example, one agricultural co-op in Hermel used the grants to install a solar energy system and buy a tractor, stating: “Solar power reduced our costs and gave us stability. We can now operate sustainably and plan for the future.”
In Quozah, a women-led thyme farming co-op used funds to repair broken walls, replace irrigation systems, and plant new seeds. The co-operative’s president told UNDP: “Without [the grant], we would have lost everything”.
The UNDP is now seeking further funding to “expand support to more co-operatives” in Lebanon, and support digitalisation and the introduction of renewable energy.
Main photo: Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon (Getty)
