Lebanon Farmers Face Heat, Drought and Water Shortages
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r/Lebanon shares how heatwaves and rainfall falling by over 60% in the 2024–2025 season are straining farms and water sources across Lebanon. Farmers are buying water, filtering salty supplies, adding shade, and using mulch to protect crops—an urgent issue for rural communities and the country’s food supply.
Adapting to extremes Lebanon's farmers battle heat and drought
Adapting to extremes Lebanon's farmers battle heat and drought
A shepherd herds his flock on the dry bed of Lake Qaraoun in the Western Bekaa, Lebanon, July 30, 2025. (Photo by Bilal Jawich/Xinhua)
by Dana Halawi
BEIRUT, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Sawfar, perched about 1,300 meters above sea level, should be enjoying the warmth of late summer that ripens tomato crops. This year, however, an unrelenting heatwave scorched the seedlings long before their time.
Kesmat Rabah, who cultivates organic vegetables, watched helplessly as half her tomato crops dry up. "We used to rely on rain and snow, but this summer was harsher than ever," she said. "We had to buy water every three days -- about 300 U.S. dollars each time -- just to keep the plants alive."
Across Lebanon, farmers are grappling with a climate that seems to have no rhythm. The country, once celebrated for its lush landscapes and abundant springs, saw rainfall drop by over 60 percent during the 2024-2025 season. Key rivers and springs, including Al-Bayada, Hasbani, Al-Yamouna, and the Litani -- Lebanon's agricultural lifeline -- are drying up, leaving ecosystems collapsing and rural communities scrambling for water.
Farmers harvest wheat in Marjeyoun, Lebanon, on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Taher Abu Hamdan/Xinhua)
For farmers, these shifts are not abstract numbers but daily challenges.
Sara Samaan, an agricultural engineer working at plant nursery Cosanostra, recalled how her water reservoirs, normally sufficient for July, barely held half the usual volume this year.
"We had to buy water, but it's salty, and that damages seedlings," she explained. To cope with the dilemma, her team filtered the water, built shading structures, and applied mulch to protect young plants from the scorching sun. "The temperature is too high nowadays. These practices are necessary just to keep our crops alive."
This photo taken on July 30, 2025 shows Lake Qaraoun in the Western Bekaa, Lebanon. (Photo by Bilal Jawich/Xinhua)
Climate scientists warned that such extreme condi...
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