South Lebanon farmers cut off from land as war devastates agriculture

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Since the start of the Israeli incursion into Khiam, a farmer has been unable to check on his orchards in Sardah, located east of the occupied Hamames area, south of Khiam.

He is one of more than 17,000 farmers in southern Lebanon whose life’s work has been turned into a battlefield by the war, one they experienced in 2024 and tried to overcome.

Today, more than 70% of these farmers have been forced to flee, while those who chose to remain despite the danger are no longer able to access their land.

The war, along with shelling, fires, bulldozing, the spraying of toxic substances and pesticides, phosphorus bombardment, and restrictions on tending the land, has damaged more than 490 million square meters, or 22% of Lebanon’s agricultural land.

Of this, 470 million square meters are in the south, while the rest is spread across the Bekaa and Mount Lebanon regions.

The hardest-hit are olive and citrus trees, which form the backbone of agriculture in southern Lebanon, both along the coast and in the highlands.

As the war continues, losses are expected to rise, and estimating their cost remains difficult because they are linked to developments on the ground, damage assessments, and the feasibility of rehabilitating the land.

What is certain, however, is that Lebanon has so far avoided a crisis in agricultural products, relying mainly on production in the Bekaa and the north, as well as imports.

As for whether agricultural production in the south will recover, the answer lies in politics and security.