BEIRUT, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A drastic decline in rain and snowfall this year is posing dire consequences to Lebanon's agricultural livelihoods, Lebanese officials and experts have warned.
"The decline in rain and scarcity of snow are all factors that negatively affect the stock of ground and drinking water and the ability to irrigate crops and fruit trees and provide wild animals with their water and food needs," said Michel Afram, director general of the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institution.
In addition, the temperatures registered in Lebanon in January were higher than in previous years, added Afram.
"One can notice the big difference in precipitation between this season and last year and the average over 30 years," Joseline Abou Fares, an expert from the weather forecasting division at Beirut airport, told Xinhua.
According to the airport's forecast, precipitation in the capital city from September 2022 to Jan. 30 stands at 322.4 mm, compared to 425.2 mm for the same period last year, while the average of the same periods over the past 30 years is 520 mm.
In Zahle, a large city in eastern Lebanon, and Tripoli, a major northern city, September-January precipitation was registered at 202 mm and 378.8 mm respectively, while their same-period average over the past 30 years is 355 mm and 530 mm.
The drop in rainfall could negatively affect irrigation and crop yields, especially wheat and other cereals. At the same time, the rise in temperatures might cause tree buds to open prematurely, exposing them to the risk of late frost, Afram said.
He urged the government to declare a state of alert on water quantity and quality, and the agriculture ministry to pursue a climate-adaptive plan and develop a mechanism to rationalize water resources.
Ghaith Maalouf, an agricultural engineer, told Xinhua that the unusually warm weather had already affected almond orchards in areas about 500 meters above sea level, as flowers and buds opened about two months ahead of their time.
Lebanese caretaker Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan told Xinhua that his ministry is working to activate a support plan for farmers under the impact of climate change, with steps including land reclamation, building water tanks, providing modern irrigation networks, and securing agricultural supplies such as seeds and fertilizers.
The ministry, in cooperation with international donors, is establishing mountain reservoirs with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters to 15,000 cubic meters to collect rain and spring water during peak periods for use in dry seasons, noted Hassan.
Worrying that Lebanese farmers are particularly vulnerable to climate damage because of insufficient public funding for their adaptation, Antoine Howayek, head of a local farmers' association, called for the passing of a law to establish the National Fund for Agricultural Security for better financing.
