"www.fao.org/about/meetings/sustainable-food-systems-nutrition-symposium The International Symposium on Sustainable Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Improved Nutrition was jointly held by FAO and WHO in December 2016 to explore policies and programme options for shaping the food systems in ways that deliver foods for a healthy diet, focusing on concrete country experiences and challenges. This Symposium waas the first large-scale contribution under the UN Decade of Action for Nutrition 2016-2025. This presentation was part of Parallel session 3.2: Enhancing food system resilience in areas affected by climate change and other crisis"

2. RESPONSE TO THE FOOD SECURITY CRISIS IN
CONFLICTS:
EMBEDDING DEVELOPMENT INTO RELIEF
Dr. Shady Hamadeh, Environment & Sustainable Development Unit,
American University of Beirut, Lebanon

3. Overview of the Syrian Crisis
• 4.8 million Syrians are refugees in
Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and
Turkey
• 6.8 million people have been
internally displaced within Syria
• Hunger now affects over half of
the people remaining in Syria
• Lebanon is hosting approximately
1.5 million of Syrian Refugees
• 93 % of Syrian refugees are food
insecure
• Most refugees are hosted in
impoverished Lebanese areas
(Bekaa & North Lebanon)
Brotherly Influx
Mohammad, Syria:
“I have 54.3% chance to be
extremely poor & hungry, and
my brother and I can die any
minute!”
(50, 000 children killed in the
crisis up to 2016)

4. • Major approaches used to cover food
assistance needs:
 Electronic Cards (cash-for-food
vouchers)
 In kind food assistance (Staple Food
distribution)
1,736,500 food vouchers or cash assistance distributed to refugees
More than US$1.9 billion spent through e-cards for food assistance
in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt
720 million spent on cash based interventions in Lebanon
Food Security Responses

5. As of 2015, emergence of some efforts to develop
durable solutions with the objective of promoting
sustainable food security in Lebanon:
• Schools feeding programs
• Sustainable agriculture support programs:
 Capacity building for farmers on sustainable
agriculture
 Creation of micro-gardens
 Distribution of agricultural
kits/tools
Food Security Responses

6. • Regional Leader in rural sustainable livelihoods
• Putting people at the center
• Sustainable Food Security Initiatives:
 “Community Kitchens for the empowerment of women to provide local
food aid”
 “Building the Food Security and Economic Resilience of Syrian Refugees and
Vulnerable Members of their Host Communities in Beirut/Lebanon through
Urban Agriculture”
Jordan
Yemen
Morocco
Environment & Sustainable Development
Unit (ESDU)

7. Linking Emergency Food Assistance to the Development of Host
Communities
Beneficial to both host communities and
Refugees
Mobilizes women from both
communities + build their capacities to
produce healthy traditional food
Enhances social rehabilitation
among both communities
Income-generating for women + support
to local producers/shops
Alleviates food security and increases
dietary diversity among vulnerable
families
Food Assistance
through CK
Beneficial to Refugees
Reach a large number of people in a short
period of time
Do not tackle social cohesion
Often not culturally relevant
Benefits to specific shops
Alleviates food security among
vulnerable families
Traditional Food
Assistance
10$ / Family
(hot pot +
bread parcel)
10$ / Family
(food voucher)
Community Kitchens

8. Local development
School Feeding Prg
Food Assistance
Chatila
Bourj
Barajneh
Minyara
Khiara
Koueikh
Batloun
Aarsal
Community
Gardens
El Mina
Network of Community Kitchens
10 CKs for Food Assistance
70 Syrian & Lebanese women leading the
kitchen
50 small local shops / producers
1,200 households every day
360,000 hot healthy meals distributed per
year with bread, fruits and vegetables
<2$ / day / person

9. • UA coupled with a recycling/composting
program in poor Beirut suburbs  to build food
security of vulnerable populations (host + Syrian
Refugees)
• 100 local and refugee families reached
• Horizontal / vertical kit + composting unit (eco-
friendly; plastic bottles + crates)
• Capacity building + startup material to grow fresh
fruits, vegetables and herbs
• Cost-effective solution to achieve self-reliance
(saving around 50$ / month per family)
 Kitchen Gardens:
• Self-sustainability
• Job opportunities for host and refugees
 Local value chain development and introduction
of best agricultural practices
Urban Agriculture

10. Embed Development into Relief
to give Mohammad a
Sustainable Food
& Nutrition Security!