Across the Mediterranean, food is deeply connected to culture, biodiversity, and identity. Traditional products reflect generations of knowledge, from farmers who cultivate local varieties to families who preserve recipes and processing techniques passed down over time.
Yet these food traditions are increasingly at risk. Rural depopulation, changing consumption patterns, climate change, and the expansion of industrial food systems are placing pressure on small-scale producers and local food systems. In Lebanon, these challenges have been intensified by ongoing economic and social crises, making it increasingly difficult for rural producers to sustain their livelihoods.
Between 2019 and 2023, the MedSNAIL project (Sustainable Networks for Agro-food Innovation Leading in the Mediterranean) worked to address these challenges by supporting small-scale agro-food producers and promoting sustainable, locally rooted value chains. Funded by the European Union under the ENI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme, the project brought together partners from across the Mediterranean to strengthen traditional food systems while creating new opportunities for rural communities.
In Lebanon, MedSNAIL was implemented through collaborative efforts between the Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (ESDU) and Department of Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management (LDEM) at the American University of Beirut (AUB), focusing on producers from the West Bekaa and Chouf regions.
Supporting the Keepers of Lebanon’s Food Heritage
Lebanon’s rural communities are home to a rich diversity of traditional products, including mouneh, artisanal dairy products, wild plants, and locally adapted crop varieties. These products represent more than food, they embody relationships between people, landscapes, and cultural practices.
However, many small-scale producers face challenges beyond production itself, including limited market access, lack of business support, and difficulties competing with industrial food products.
Through MedSNAIL, AUB supported producers, many of them rural women, through training on marketing, pricing, food safety, and business development. The project also created opportunities for producers to showcase their products, exchange knowledge, and connect with new markets.
These activities helped strengthen not only individual businesses but also the wider networks that sustain Lebanon’s traditional food systems.
Preserving Biodiversity Through Traditional Foods
A key component of MedSNAIL was the promotion of Slow Food principles: supporting food systems that are good, clean, and fair while protecting biodiversity and local knowledge.
Through this approach, the project contributed to raising awareness about Lebanese products at risk of disappearing. Several products, such as akkoub, ambariz, cedar honey, kawarma, kishk, local fig varieties, mulberry syrup, Obeidy grapes, pomegranate molasses, and sumac, were included in Slow Food’s Ark of Taste, an international catalogue highlighting endangered traditional foods and supporting their preservation.
These products represent centuries of knowledge and adaptation. For example, Akkoub reflects traditional practices of wild harvesting and preparation, while Obeidy grapes highlight Lebanon’s long history of local grape cultivation and winemaking.
Connecting Producers with New Opportunities
Beyond preserving traditional products, MedSNAIL focused on strengthening connections across the food system.
The project developed narrative labels to highlight the origins, production methods, and cultural stories behind local products, helping consumers better understand the value of what they purchase. It also established a Chef Alliance, connecting producers with restaurants and culinary professionals interested in promoting local ingredients and shorter supply chains.
By bringing together farmers, producers, chefs, and consumers, MedSNAIL demonstrated that protecting food heritage requires more than preserving products, it requires supporting the communities and relationships that keep these traditions alive.
A Legacy for Lebanon’s Food Future
MedSNAIL highlighted that food heritage is not simply about looking to the past. It is about supporting living systems that connect biodiversity, livelihoods, culture, and sustainability.
As Lebanon continues to face economic and environmental challenges, strengthening local food systems remains essential. Supporting the producers who maintain these traditions is not only a way to preserve cultural heritage, but also a pathway toward more resilient and sustainable food futures.
By valuing local knowledge, biodiversity, and small-scale producers, initiatives such as MedSNAIL demonstrate how traditional food systems can continue to nourish communities for generations to come.