On July 26, 2025, the first workshop of the WaterMellon Project, funded by the PRIMA Program, was successfully held in Iaat, in the Baalbeck-Hermel Governorate, marking the launch of Lebanon’s first pilot site.
A dynamic group of 27 local stakeholders, including farmers, agricultural experts, cooperatives, and community representatives from Iaat and Deir al-Ahmar, gathered to learn, share, and engage with this innovative initiative. Their enthusiasm was clear: many expressed strong interest in staying involved and joining the local group that will follow the project’s activities on the ground.
The workshop introduced participants to the WaterMellon project’s goals, the donor and consortium behind it, and the role of climate-smart agriculture in building resilience to drought in the Mediterranean.
Two key sessions provided rich insights: A first lecture addressed the growing impact of climate change on Lebanon’s agriculture and the urgent need for adaptive solutions.
The second presented the project’s interventions in Lebanon, detailed the two pilot sites, and offered a first look at the novel cropping systems to be tested – Quinoa and Teff- , and insert in the local crops rotation system, which holds great promise for sustainable farming in dry conditions.
