This project was submitted by Mashrou’ Al Akhdar in collaboration with farmers from Qoshaya and the Monastery of Saint Antonios Qoshaya. Mashrou’ Al Akhdar (the Green Project) is part of a national initiative of the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture aimed at reforming and revitalizing the agricultural sector, with a particular focus on land reclamation and the development of water storage infrastructure. The Monastery of Saint Antonios Qoshaya formally granted permission to the Union of Ain Bakra and Aarbet Qoshaya farmers to utilize monastery-owned land for the rehabilitation of an existing water collection reservoir. This authorization ensures sustained irrigation capacity during the peak summer season, thereby enhancing agricultural productivity and improving farmers’ livelihoods.

Implementation Plan
The project was successfully completed and is fully operational. The rehabilitated 100,000 m³ water reservoir is significantly improving water availability for agricultural use in the Ain Bakra area, ensuring reliable irrigation during critical dry and peak summer periods. This reservoir represents the largest water infrastructure project funded by SEAL in Lebanon to date. By addressing chronic water scarcity, the project contributes to strengthened food security through the provision of reliable irrigation for the region’s highly productive agricultural lands, which support the cultivation of pears, grapes, apples, apricots, and summer vegetables.

The scope of implementation works included backfilling and land rehabilitation, installation of geomembrane and geotextile lining systems, perimeter fencing, reinforced concrete works, and the construction of associated hydraulic and support infrastructure.

150 farmers