The olive growers from the Lebanese region of Akkar in Umbria (IT) for technical mission

Development of olive growing in the north of Lebanon

PHOTO: A moment of the mission

A delegation of olive growers from the Akkar region, a rural area in the north of Lebanon, was present in Umbria from the 19th until the 24th of April for the first training and technical assistance mission aimed to improve their professional skills and their knowledge about olive growing.

The mission was carried out under the project “Development of olive growing in the north of Lebanon”, promoted by FELCOS Umbria (Fund of local bodies for the decentralized cooperation and sustainable human development) and the Union of Municipalities “Terre dell'Olio e del Sagrantino” (Lands of Oil and Sagrantino), with the contribution of Umbria Region, under the Regional Law 26/99, and the ART Initiative of the United Nations Development Programme, which represents the main actor for carrying out the activity in Lebanon.

Training sessions were held by Mr. Massimo Sisani, President of the Foligno Inter-Municipal section of CIA Umbria (Italian Farmers Confederation) and Vice-president of Consorzio della Bonificazione Umbra (Umbrian Reclamation Consortium), by Mr. Marco Gammaidoni CIA Umbria agronomist, by Mr. Mirco Boco from the Agricultural, Food and Environment Science Department of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Perugia, by the President of Umbria Protected Denomination of Origin (DOP) Protection Consortium, Leonardo Laureti, and by Mr. Yuri Amantini and Fausto Fratini: respectively Director and President of “Frantoio di Spello – Uccd Società Cooperativa Agricola” (Spello Oil Mill – Uccd Agricoltural Cooperative).

The main goal of the project, addressed to 200 olive growers, members of the Khirbet Char Agricultural Cooperative and to 8 Oil Mill Managers in the Drieb area in Akkar and to the members of the Mid-Drieb Union of Municipalities, is to contribute to Akkar local development, a rural area within the Lebanon most underdeveloped from an economic point of view.

In particular, the project aims to reach the following objectives:

• improve the skills and capacities of Akkar olive grower regarding olive tree parasites, tree pruning, olive harvesting;

• improve the professional skills of the oil mill managers with regards to the process of pressing and hygiene standards;

• improve associationism capacity among producers and their marketing and promotion capacity;

• improve Lebanese local body capacity of promoting the territory and local products and to support local development processes.

Furthermore, the Lebanese delegation participated in various institutional meetings: Monday 20th of April, olive growers were welcomed by the mayor of Foligno Nando Mismetti and by Councilors Silvia Stancati, vice-president of FELCOS Umbria, and Giovanni Patriarchi. The mayor of Spello, Moreno Landrini, and the mayor of Trevi, Bernardino Sperandio were also present.

Other partners of the project are: North Lebanon Local Development Agency (LEDA North Lebanon); the Association of the Cooperatives for the development of the olive sector in Drieb region in Akkar, Lebanon; the Middle Drieb Union of Municipalities, Lebanon and the Association Road/route of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil DOP of Umbria. The group of five Lebanese olive growers will be accompanied by a LEDA North Lebanon expert that will guarantee the transmission of knowledge and techniques learned during the permanence-study in Umbria to the others cooperative members through the organization of free training workshops, ensuring a multiplier effect of the expected results.

The project, lasting eleven months, will end with a final public conference, to be held in Umbria, for the presentation and bring back to the territory the activities carried out to support the olive growing in Lebanon.

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