CIHEAM Montpellier welcomed His Excellency, Abbas Hajj Hassan, Minister of Agriculture of Lebanon
CIHEAM Montpellier welcomed His Excellency Abbas Hajj Hassan, Minister of Agriculture of Lebanon, and one of his advisors, Mr. Salem Darwich, for a 2-day working visit.
The meeting addressed several cooperation areas between the Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier and the Ministry of Agriculture, in particular the extension and possible development of the SupMed project.
Information on the SupMed project: https://www.supmed-project.com/
Aimed at supporting collective and contextualized strategies for resilient and sustainable agriculture, the main objective of this project is to propose, evaluate ex-ante and implement climate change and socio-economic uncertainties adaptation strategies, in conjunction with stakeholders in the field. It is being carried out in parallel in the Bekaa plain in Lebanon and in the governorate of Luxor in Egypt. As part of this project, HE the Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan inaugurated an olive tree nursery in Hermel last spring. HE the Minister and CIHEAM also discussed the development of the soft wheat sector in Lebanon, a project in which the World Food Program could also be involved.
The visit also enabled HE the Minister to meet with the Lebanese students studying in the DATEM Master's program or pursuing a doctorate.
The DATEM Master's program is an original and strong collaboration between CIHEAM Montpellier and the Faculty of Agronomy of the Lebanese University of Beirut, which enables 8 Lebanese students to graduate from the two institutions each year. Other Lebanese students are also welcomed into the Institute's other Masters programs. Some are continuing their studies at doctoral level, contributing to research and cooperation projects run by CIHEAM Montpellier.
For full details of current projects: https://www.iamm.ciheam.org/fr/rd/projets/