Tour REEF

Tour REEF aims at setting a common vision for the development of rural tourism in Lebanon and tracing its roadmap. Tour REEF focuses on supporting the sector by initiating a mechanism for cross sectoral joint actions in rural tourism and by providing needed assistance in compiling data gaps in the sector.
Rural tourism in Lebanon holds significant potentials as it provides direct income generating activities to rural communities, protects and conserves the local natural and cultural heritage, and offers the tourists a chance to have an alternative experience through small guesthouses and restaurants, crafts and agricultural activities.
Tour REEF aims at preserving these advantages while ensuring efficient sustainable development of the sector.

Eco REEF

Eco REEF focuses on sustainable agriculture and the nascent organic agriculture sector in Lebanon to encourage farmers on adopting sustainable agricultural practices. Eco REEF aims at linking farmers with opportunities to enhance their capabilities and to offer them potentials to improve their agricultural practices. Eco REEF therefore serves as an advocacy platform for agro-ecology, permaculture and organic farming initiatives and aims at contributing to restructuring the organic farming sector in Lebanon hence offering communities reliable organic food and contributing to food security and environmental sustainability.

Food REEF

Food REEF promotes nutrition and food security by promoting local food systems and improving access to knowledge and healthy food. Food REEF supports small-scale local food producers, rural income generating activities including food tourism, awareness among students in schools and universities and community kitchens and community gardens in rural areas as well as urban agriculture. Food REEF will therefore contribute to the mobilization of women and youth for the conservation of Lebanese culinary heritage and the local food system. Moreover, Food REEF will assist in securing income-generating activities, while helping to enhance social rehabilitation through the creation of a sense of purpose among rural communities.

Food REEF would therefore help provide the following benefits:
  1. Capacity building and income generation for women in rural communities
  2. Strengthening of the linkages and cultural exchange within communities
  3. Improved dietary diversity and national food security.

Climate REEF

Climate REEF aims to sustainably improve the skills and capacities of local youth, women and farmers on alternative and climate-smart agricultural crop production and agro-food processing. Climate REEF therefore supports rural communities by providing easy access to information, finance and market.

Climate-smart practices may be applied at different levels of the agro-food value chains. Value chains include:
  1. Small ruminant production (wool and carpet production, dairy processing and herd/pasture management)
  2. Alternative and climate-smart agricultural crop production
  3. Agro-food processing to enhance productivity and resilience
Climate REEF thereby contribute to improvements in national food security.

Clean REEF

Clean REEF focuses on developing composting, sorting and recycling initiatives in the agricultural sector by offering innovative pathways to agriculture as well as the required financial linkages and capacity building. Clean REEF plays a major role in the conservation of the farming sector, where young farmers are offered access to information and technology supporting innovative pathways to agriculture thereby reviving the sustainable agriculture sector while securing the reestablishment of natural resources.

Protected REEF

Protected REEF focuses on the sustainable usage of rural lands therefore contributing to the conservation of natural resources and the protection of the natural heritage and unique landscape. Protected REEF aims to provide opportunities for the development of rural areas while ensuring the sustainable usage of land resources, creating opportunities for research, conservation, restoration and monitoring, and contributing to education, and recreational activities. Protected REEF includes among others, all protected areas, rangelands and “Waqf” lands.

Vocational REEF

Vocational REEF focuses on supporting agricultural vocational schools for training and educating local women, youth and farmers on sustainable agricultural practices and value chains. Training modules target mainly farmers and food processors including women entrepreneurs seeking to improve their skills and start a home-based business.

About Us

The Rural Empowerment & Entrepreneurship Forum, REEF, launched by the Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (ESDU) at the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) at the American University of Beirut (AUB), aims at building a mutual platform among all developmental actors of the rural areas in Lebanon. The REEF network is an innovative framework to promote knowledge sharing, mobilization of resources and establishment of new partnerships among all stakeholders of the different sectors.
About Us

Network

REEF network includes seven sub-networks; Tour REEF, Eco REEF, Food REEF, Climate REEF, Clean REEF, Protected REEF, Vocational REEF

Map of Initiatives

REEF Initiatives and their respective locations
Map of Initiatives