(AGENPARL) – Mon 09 February 2026 The pulse of Lebanon
A chickpea revival with farmers at its heart
[cid:image003.jpg@01DC99D0.F6F80950]©FAO/Ralph Azar
Marie Therese Zeidan bends down in her field in Lebanon’s Bekaa region, scooping a handful of chickpea seeds from an open sack. She lets them run slowly through her fingers, studying their shape and weight before sowing them.
“Holding these chickpea seeds means more than preparing for the next planting season,” she says. “It is a gesture of hope for future seasons.”
For generations, chickpeas have been at the heart of Lebanese cuisine. From the creamy texture of hummus (smooth chickpea dip) and the crunch of falafel (deep-fried chickpea balls) to the warm comfort of balila (a warmchick pea salad), they are woven into the country’s cultural identity, with domestic consumption averaging 3.25 kilograms per person each year.
Despite favourable growing conditions, however, local production has struggled to meet national demand, and the country currently imports more than 70 percent of the chickpeas it consumes.
Limited access to quality seeds, outdated cultivation practices and inconsistent production and quality have long discouraged production, pushing many farmers away from a crop deeply rooted in their land and food culture.
From tradition to renewed practice
Marie Therese is one of many farmers in the Bekaa region taking part in Lebanon’s renewed effort to revive the chickpea sector under FAO’s One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, implemented in partnership with Lebanon’s Ministry of Agriculture.
Through better access to quality seeds of improved varieties, hands-on training and field demonstrations, farmers are rediscovering how their land can once again support resilient and profitable chickpea cultivation. Farmers can move away from recycled chickpea seed stocks toward certified, high-performing varieties that have been bred for greater productivity, disease tolerance and better market traits.
Training and field demonstrations have introduced farmers to improved agronomic practices, including optimal sowing times, appropriate seeding rates, proper row spacing and optimal levels of fertiliser application. Farmers are also learning land preparation techniques and integrated pest and disease management, with a focus on early detection and preventive measures, such as using pheromones and insects traps, rather than reactive use of chemical pesticides.
Beyond being a source of nutritious plant-based protein, chickpeas are “soil builders”. Grown primarily in rain-fed areas, they establish a symbiosis with nitrogen fixing bacteria, thereby improving soil fertility and reducing the need for chemical fertilisers.
A pivotal shift in this revival is the introduction of winter chickpea varieties developed by the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI). These are more tolerant to cold conditions and drought, allowing farmers to plant earlier in November–December instead of March. This enables better use of rainfall during the growing season and reduces exposure to drought stress, particularly since chickpea production is predominantly rainfed. This leads to higher yields.
During a recent FAO training organized with the Ministry of Agriculture and LARI, more than 500 farmers gathered to learn practical techniques aimed at improving productivity.
“We learned how to prepare the land, treat seeds to prevent disease and irrigate at the right stages,” explains Marie Therese. “Even with less rain, we saw that a good harvest is still possible.”
Shared knowledge, shared confidence
The transformation is equally visible in North Lebanon where Bilal Abdul Karim Muhammad has been farming for four decades. For Bilal, the initiative is not just about higher yields; it is about sustainability and cost-effectiveness.
“We learned about organic practices that are less costly and better for soil health,” Bilal says. Since adopting winter cultivation and seed treatments, his productivity has soared. “I can reach 300 kilogram per dunum, which is a very good yield. The quality, the taste, size and texture are also much better.”
Since joining the OCOP initiative in 2022, Lebanon has laid important groundwork to strengthen the chickpea value chain, with a focus on training, demonstration of improved cultivation and post-harvest practices. To date, 520 farmers have been trained on better crop management, with an additional 29 extension agents from the Ministry of Agriculture trained to do field demonstrations for further dissemination of better agricultural practices.
Beyond the fields, Lebanon is raising awareness about chickpea production through public events and value chain discussions. These initiatives connect farmers like Marie Therese and Bilal with consumers, policymakers, markets and agrifood system actors, reinforcing the link between local production and national food security and nutrition.
Innovation is also emerging across the sector. New chickpea-based products, including gluten-free flour, roasted snacks, protein bars, pasta, chips and beverages, are expanding market possibilities and adding value to local production.
The roadmap for the future is ambitious. The Lebanese government aims to increase local chickpea production to fulfill 40 percent of national demand by 2030, ensuring that production meets premium quality standards and boosts agricultural employment.
Through the OCOP initiative, FAO is supporting these scaling efforts by building farmer capacity, developing accessible technical resources, organizing investment workshops and promoting the chickpea sector at the national level.
For Marie Therese and her fellow farmers, these ambitions are grounded in everyday work in the fields. With continued innovation and farmer-led learning, Lebanon is paving the way for a more sustainable and competitive chickpea sector that strengthens rural livelihoods and preserves the culinary heritage that has always belonged at the heart of Lebanese life.
The story and photos can be found here: https://www.fao.org/newsroom/story/the-pulse-of-lebanon/en
VNR: https://digital-media.fao.org/Detail/2A6XC5LSSKKF
All feature stories can be accessed here: http://www.fao.org/news/stories-archive/en/
Media outlets are welcome to reproduce the article or use the information contained in it, as well as related photos, provided that FAO and the photographers are given credit. A link back to the original story is also appreciated.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
FAO News and Media
Online tools
Photos and Videos: FAO Digital Media Hub
Photos: FAOnews Flickr account
FAO News: Newsroom website
FAO feature and in-depth stories: Stories website
Social Media: @FAOnews
This email was issued by the Media Office at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).