Given the scarcity of land and water resources, global strategies to increase food production should focus efforts on increasing production per unit resources, i.e. the combined increase of production per unit land surface (yield expressed in kg/ha) and the increase of production per unit water used (water productivity expressed in kg/m³). The FAO portal to monitor WAter Productivity through Open access of Remotely sensed derived data (WaPOR) uses satellite information to compute and map key variables related to water and agriculture, such as evapotranspiration, biomass production and water productivity. The provision of near real time information through such open access data portal enables a range of service-providers to assist farmers attain more reliable yields and to improve their livelihoods; irrigation operators have access to new information to assess the performance of systems and to identify where to focus investments to modernize the irrigation schemes; and government agencies will be able to use the information to monitor and promote the efficient use of natural resources. This report presents the work undertaken to identify key stakeholders in the agriculture and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector and the capacity needs of farmers to improve water productivity in a sustainable manner, through two components; the first surveys the role and capacities of various stakeholders in the ICT and agriculture sector in Lebanon, and the second presents and analyzes the results of a survey into the capacity needs of farmers in relation to the use of ICT in agriculture in the Bekaa valley.

Climate change and extreme weather events are heightening levels of acute food insecurity and food crises around the world. As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and deals with other drivers of food security, poverty and inequality, the international community is calling for a climate-resilient and sustainable recovery. Supporting the shift away from disaster response toward preventative and anticipatory action is fundamental to address the growing challenges faced by agriculture and food systems. Climate services highlight the role of science and technology in providing innovative solutions for risk reduction, effective resilience policies and adaptation planning. Underpinned by robust science and agrometeorological data, climate services and digital advisories bring tailored climate information to agricultural producers and value chain actors. But despite increasing evidence of the benefits of climate services, there are still major gaps in their development worldwide. This global assessment points to a significant gap in investment in climate services for the last mile – the small-scale farmers and most marginalized communities. Bridging this gap and scaling climate services is essential if actionable information is to be communicated in an equitable and effective manner to users, making sure no one is left behind. The report presents the latest data on the state of climate services for agricultural users with surveys from 36 countries across all FAO regions. The report’s findings have major implications for institutional frameworks to effectively target investments in resilience, preparedness and recovery. Case studies highlight additional challenges, opportunities and lessons learned from specific interventions across the climate services provision framework. Despite many challenges, climate services have demonstrable benefits to agriculture and food security by navigating agricultural producers around unpredictable and changing weather patterns. The report presents a blueprint for targeted investments to ensure that finance is effectively allocated not only to enhance the production of climate services, but also their provision, engagement and application by agricultural communities.

FAO Policy on Gender Equality identifies gender mainstreaming and women-targeted actions as a twofold strategy for the achievement of gender equality in the agricultural and rural sector. This book reflects on the FAO gender assessment of the agricultural and rural sector of Lebanon, explaining by that the gender mainstreaming across different levels, including the political and institutional ones in addition to providing a detailed and statistical gender analysis for the engagement of women in the agricultural sector, along with its various restrictions and implications on the rural community.

This volume, part of the International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions' book series 'Working with Children & Adolescents, ' aims to bring up-to-date empirically derived knowledge on transcultural themes as they affect child and adolescent mental adjustment, to assist those seeking to understand and ameliorate the mental health problems of children and young people. The contributors represent expert views supported by empirical and clinical experiences. They address first general transcultural issues of relevance for child mental health (i.e. political turmoil, the effects of stigma, anthropological considerations, international adoptions, and the adjustment of specific immigrant groups); secondly, cultural aspects of specific child and adolescent mental health disorders. Thirdly, it covers the training of professionals in transcultural child psychiatry and setting up temporary interventions in war and conflict areas.

The project aimed to offer access to agricultural technical vocational training to young Syrian and Lebanese students including enrolment in the Lebanese public secondary-level technical degree programme of the technical baccalaureate in agriculture. The final aim was for these students to have a better chance to access the job market as well as provide them with the necessary technical qualifications and official diplomas. The evaluation found that the project was highly relevant to the needs of the government and beneficiaries, and delivered on its obligations despite the complexity and the challenging operational environment.

The problem: Young people and their decisions about whether to consume alcohol are significantly affected by the environment in which they live, learn and play. Environments that normalize alcohol consumption –termed alcogenic environments– include, for example, unregulated advertising and marketing of alcoholic beverages, higher alcohol outlet density, products designed to facilitate accessibility and cheap prices of alcoholic beverages. The evidence: A significant body of research evidence has emerged related to the measurement, functional significance and consequences of living in alcogenic environments. This includes findings on the complex and bidirectional interactions creating and perpetuating alcogenic environments among the local context and alcohol acceptability, availability and affordability. The know-how: Comprehensive and enforced alcohol control policies are effective at delaying the age of onset and lowering alcohol prevalence and frequency in young people. Experiences from Colombia, Japan, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Thailand and Uganda shed light on the multiple channels in which alcogenic environments normalize and increase exposure of young people to alcohol and how civil society organizations initiatives have counteracted this. The way forward: Evidence consistently confirms the effectiveness of designing and implementing alcohol control policies that regulate upstream the drivers of alcogenic environment, including alcohol availability, acceptability and affordability.