USAID/Lebanon Fosters Learning and Collaboration to Highlight and Address Food Security Issues in the Most Vulnerable Lebanese Communities

The socio-economic crisis and the cross-border conflict in the South have exacerbated food insecurity in Lebanon. In mid-2024, around 23 percent of the population was suffering from acute food insecurity, according to the recently updated Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis (IPC). With nearly all agricultural households resorting to negative coping strategies, there arose a need for effective food-security interventions and close monitoring of food-security outcomes across relevant actors. At the request of USAID/Lebanon’s Economic Growth Office (EGO), in coordination with the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) and the Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security (REFS), the Monitoring and Evaluation Program for Lebanon (MEPL) conducted a comprehensive food security assessment (FSA) to gauge the status of food security in Lebanon and the agricultural sector’s capacity to meet the population’s food needs. Being a multi-faceted process, the FSA necessitated extensive communication and collaboration with key stakeholders from such sectors as agriculture, trade, health, water, and energy among others impacting food security. As such, the team adopted a CLA approach, employing an iterative mixed-methods process for data collection that also promoted continuous learning and adaptability. Key external actors, including donors, UN agencies, NGOs, and researchers were engaged throughout the process. The team meticulously analyzed the collected data, generating new knowledge and actionable recommendations. MEPL disseminated the findings to multiple USAID offices to inform broader strategic discussions. This study constitutes a holistic base of technical evidence that can support continuous learning, knowledge sharing, and collaborative action to address vulnerable communities’ food-security challenges.