Weeks ago, the escalation between Hezbollah and Israel forced Abu Talib to abandon his fruit orchards in southern Lebanon and relocate to the north, but his heart aches for a crop he has long awaited.
Like Abu Talib, many farmers have found themselves forced to abandon their crops of citrus fruits and vegetables due to the latest round of Israeli escalation that has targeted areas affiliated with Hezbollah, especially in the south and east of the country. As for those who have saved their crops, they are unable to market them.
Displacement Journey
Abu Talib, who preferred to use a pseudonym for security reasons, says, “The war started shortly before the harvest season.” In statements to Agence France-Presse, the man who fled from the town of Tayr Debba near Tyre to the city of Tripoli added, “I left 12 hectares of avocados, custard apples, and citrus fruits... We were unable to pick anything.”
In mid-October, Abu Taleb made a quick visit to his hometown, located about 6 kilometers from the coastal city of Tyre, to find it deserted. “It was a scary scene; there were no people there,” he explains.
While he was inspecting his orchards, he heard an Israeli airstrike on a neighboring town, he says, prompting him to turn back without saving his avocado crop, which is usually profitable because it is mainly intended for export.
After a year of cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Jewish state began intensifying its airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, home to vast orchards and agricultural fields, on September 23.
These airstrikes have killed at least 1,940 people in Lebanon while displacing more than 1.2 million, forcing a number of farmers to abandon their lands and crops. Although political talks are at a standstill, Abu Taleb hopes to reach a “ceasefire as soon as possible” in order to save “what remains” of his crops.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 1,909 hectares of agricultural land in southern Lebanon have been damaged or not harvested since the exchange of shelling between Hezbollah and Israel began on October 8, 2023, until September 28.
My Livelihood
Hani Saad, a large farmer, was forced to abandon four of his five avocado, citrus, custard, and banana farms, equivalent to 120 hectares in the Nabatieh region (south), whose temperate climate is suitable for these crops.
Saad, who left his town and headed to his children in the coastal city of Jounieh, north of Beirut, says, “If a ceasefire is reached within a month, I can save the season, but if not, then the whole season will be lost.”
An airstrike caused a fire to start in one of the four orchards he couldn't reach, necessitating the intervention of firefighters.
Saad relied on 32 workers to help him tend his lands and harvest the crops, but 28 of them left, especially to neighboring Syria, where they come from.
After Israel launched several raids on two main border crossings with Syria last month, which led to their closure and increased the risk to transportation companies, shipping costs rose, making it difficult to export goods.
Shadi Qadan, general manager of a fruit export company based in Sidon (south), explained to Agence France-Presse that exports to the Gulf states, which are the main outlet for agricultural crops, have decreased by more than 50%.
The decrease in turn led to a surplus of production in the local market, especially in areas considered safe, and consequently to a decrease in the prices of some fruits, particularly bananas and custard apples. “In the end, it’s the farmer who loses,” Saad sums up.
Before the war, Saad’s daily earnings from selling fruit were equivalent to $5,000 a day. Now, his daily earnings from selling fruit barely amount to $300.
“The war has ruined my home,” he sighs. “I spend my time watching the news on TV, waiting for a ceasefire to be announced so I can get back to my livelihood.”
The Worst Part
As time runs out, citrus fruits and custard apples are falling to the ground. The avocados that have survived are in dire need of water after an Israeli airstrike in early October cut off the main water line that feeds an irrigation project in the area from the Litani River.
However, some farmers, like Gabi Hajj, who lives in the Christian-majority border town of Rmeish, where Israel and Hezbollah are at odds, have made the decision to stay on their land.
The bombing forced the man to leave his 350 olive trees without care or treatment for a year, but he was still able to harvest 100 of them. Hajj told AFP, “I took advantage of the decline in fighting to pick as much as I could.”
He clarified that the region's inhabitants, now cut off from the outside world, depend on agriculture for their survival.
Israeli raids on vast forest areas and olivegroves, particularly in border towns in southern Lebanon, have caused fires since the escalation between Hezbollah and Israel began.
In the Bekaa region, where the vast plains form Lebanon's food basket, the head of the Farmers' Union, Ibrahim Tarshishi, told AFP that agriculture in Lebanon is going through its “worst phase” in its modern history. He added regretfully, “I have witnessed four wars, but I have never witnessed a war like this.”
