As Lebanon faces compound challenges including a pandemic, economic, financial and political failure, a
looming food security crisis is rapidly approaching. Much of this crisis could be attributed to the lack of
long-term planning and investment in the sustainability of the agricultural sector. Another challenge lies
in the existing disconnect between decision making between the agricultural sector, and other
interconnected sectors, including water, energy, health, economy, among others. This is exacerbated by
the lack of integrative national tools that allow for quantifying the trade-offs associated with possible
plans and interventions, which could play a role in facilitating a dialogue between multiple sectors and
stakeholder groups.
Supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Faculty of Agriculture and
Food Sciences at the American University of Beirut has worked toward 1) identifying and quantifying the
critical interconnections between water, energy, and food systems in Lebanon; 2) developing a framework
to assess the trade-offs associated with adopting interventions within current water, energy, and
agriculture portfolios and practices.