COMBINING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE APPROACHES TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS: THE CASE OF AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION IN LEBANON

While peripheral rural regions in Lebanon face typical problems of lagging development and economic marginalisation, they have not been regarded as a priority for policy-makers, and significant disparities between these and other regions have emerged as a result. Local extensionists have encouraged technological innovation as a means to improving farmers’ livelihoods, and this has led to increasing input use and an intensification of agricultural production. This paper applies contrasting quantitative and qualitative methodologies to analyse the effects of such changes at the level of the overall economy of Lebanon and also to explore the impacts on rural households. A Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model explores several simulation scenarios in which agricultural output increases due to intensification in the use of intermediate inputs. The results are evaluated at local level through the use of qualitative case-study analysis carried out in the Hermel region of northeast Lebanon. Quantitative simulations indicate that, while intensification has a positive effect overall on the Lebanese economy, the effects on rural households and the income of farmers are negative; the case-study demonstrates that, at local level, agricultural trade liberalisation, increased agricultural output and greater volatility of commodity prices has resulted in farmers opting for lower input use and more secure market forms of production.Community/Rural/Urban Development,

A mixed methods inquiry into the political economy of agriculture and rural areas in Lebanon

The present work, then, is concerned with the forgotten elements of the Lebanese economy, agriculture and rural development. It investigates the main problematic which arose from these forgotten components, in particular the structure of the agricultural sector, production technology, income distribution, poverty, food security, territorial development and local livelihood strategies. It will do so using quantitative Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) modeling and a qualitative phenomenological case study analysis, both embedded in a critical review of the historical development of the political economy of Lebanon, and a structural analysis of its economy. The research shows that under-development in Lebanese rural areas is not due to lack of resources, but rather is the consequence of political choices. It further suggests that agriculture – in both its mainstream conventional and its innovative locally initiated forms of production – still represents important potential for inducing economic growth and development. In order to do so, Lebanon has to take full advantage of its human and territorial capital, by developing a rural development strategy based on two parallel sets of actions: one directed toward the support of local rural development initiatives, and the other directed toward intensive form of production. In addition to its economic returns, such a strategy would promote social and political stability

COMBINING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE APPROACHES TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS: THE CASE OF AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION IN LEBANON

While peripheral rural regions in Lebanon face typical problems of lagging development and economic marginalisation, they have not been regarded as a priority for policy-makers, and significant disparities between these and other regions have emerged as a result. Local extensionists have encouraged technological innovation as a means to improving farmers’ livelihoods, and this has led to increasing input use and an intensification of agricultural production. This paper applies contrasting quantitative and qualitative methodologies to analyse the effects of such changes at the level of the overall economy of Lebanon and also to explore the impacts on rural households. A Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model explores several simulation scenarios in which agricultural output increases due to intensification in the use of intermediate inputs. The results are evaluated at local level through the use of qualitative case-study analysis carried out in the Hermel region of northeast Lebanon. Quantitative simulations indicate that, while intensification has a positive effect overall on the Lebanese economy, the effects on rural households and the income of farmers are negative; the case-study demonstrates that, at local level, agricultural trade liberalisation, increased agricultural output and greater volatility of commodity prices has resulted in farmers opting for lower input use and more secure market forms of production

Institutions and Policy Development for Organic Agriculture in Western Balkan Countries: a Cross-Country Analysis

This paper uses a comparative qualitative approach to study the dynamic of institutional changes occurring in the organic movement, State agricultural institutions and policies, and in the organic supply chain, in six Western Balkan countries. It shows that the ‘Michelsen path’ (Michelsen et al., 2001) is identifiable in these countries, but in a different sequence. Additionally, a number of common trends are identified in the organic sector of the countries studied, leading to a converging trajectory in institutions and policy development for organic agriculture

The effect of rural to semi-urban transformation on livelihoods using a livelihoods index

In the past 50 years, excluding populated cities, the majority of areas in Lebanon have shifted from rural to semi-urban. The main drivers of this transition are increased access to education and technology, coupled with the development of the private sect or, as well as internal and external factors like the civil war and the Syrian crisis. To determine the consequences of this transition on people's lives, a livelihoods index study will take place in one particular area of Lebanon; Kobayat Akkar, one of the largest villages in Lebanon. The stakeholders taking part in this study are people who have experienced both the rural and the semi-urban periods, e.g. farmers, business owners, head of municipalities, etc. The study will include quantitative and qualitative data collected in the field using one questionnaire to draw a comparative analysis of before and after assessments. For the qualitative data collection, a Likert scale will be used to translate the qualitative answers into numerical figures. The findings of the study will shed the light on the difference between the indexes of this same area, Kobayat, both as a rural and as a semi-urban agglomeration. The study will also provide details about how each kind of capital (natural resources, economic, social, human and physical) has been negatively or positively affected as a consequence of this transition