Israel-Hezbollah war dealt $700 million blow to Lebanon’s agriculture

A joint report by the United Nations and Lebanese authorities has revealed that the prolonged conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has devastated Lebanon’s agricultural sector, inflicting over $700 million in combined damages and losses. According to the assessment conducted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in coordination with Lebanon’s Ministry of Agriculture and the National Council for Scientific Research, the sector suffered approximately $118 million in direct damages and $586 million in broader economic losses.

The hardest-hit regions include the southern part of Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley in the east. Crop cultivation emerged as the most affected subsector, followed by livestock, forestry, fisheries, and aquaculture. The war, which displaced over a million people between October 2023 and November 2024, left many farmers unable to access their land or harvest their produce.

The report emphasizes the urgent need for support to revive agricultural production, estimating $263 million is needed for recovery, with $95 million identified as an immediate priority. It calls for swift action to restart activities in farming, animal husbandry, and aquaculture, and to rehabilitate agricultural infrastructure.

Among the specific losses, olive groves were particularly devastated, with 814 hectares destroyed, resulting in $12 million in damages and $237 million in losses. Other key crops such as citrus, bananas, potatoes, and grains were also affected. Livestock took a hit as well, with $19 million in damage and $28 million in losses, including serious impacts on poultry farms and beekeeping.

In addition to agricultural land, the conflict also scorched nearly 5,000 hectares of pine forests, further compounding environmental and economic setbacks.

A recent World Bank report estimated Lebanon’s total reconstruction needs at $11 billion. The overall economic impact of the conflict is placed at $14 billion, with $6.8 billion attributed to infrastructure damage and $7.2 billion to economic losses stemming from disrupted productivity, lost income, and increased operational costs.

The housing sector emerged as the most severely affected, with losses nearing $4.6 billion. The tourism industry also suffered a major blow, facing losses of approximately $3.6 billion.