LEBANON: Day 4

Our final working day in Lebanon had on agenda a meeting at the American University of Beirut (AUB). In attendance were:

Professor Mounir Mabsout, director of the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS) at AUB and his team,

Mr Vesa Jaakola, Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of Finland in Damascus, currently working from Beirut,

Nassib El-Solh and Maria El-Solh of the Al-Amal Institute,

and our group from Aalto University.

We did a presentation recapitulating our endeavors so far and elucidating where we are heading with the Rock Village project; our goals and hopeful partnerships.

There was also a presentation from CCECS on similar projects they have carried out in villages in South Lebanon, followed by discussions around the following themes:

- Creating the project/concept proposal based on scientific data to back relevance of the project.

- Designing a relevant project through comprehensive participatory methods.

- Working on the liaison between AUB and Aalto University. Aalto University needs to create a formal institution in the manner of CCECS that can organise and coordinate the project and its funding. AUB is interested in knowing how far Aalto University is ready to go with their collaboration, funding and continuity of the project.

- Possible sources of funding. Vesa Jaakola was instrumental here in making recommendations on options for funding.

In a nutshell, the vision of the Rock Village project is quite clear and pursuable at the moment, but for the next steps there is still work to be done on the working structure, partnerships and funding mechanism.

It was a fruitful field trip to Lebanon with enormous learning outcomes, thus a befitting night out in culmination of our trip. We return with a clearer insight on how to proceed with our project. 'Merci' to Nassib and family,  and to all the officials who fitted us in their hectic schedules.

Please, keep following our blog for progress on the Rock Village project.

Day 3 - Meetings, meetings, meetings!

The third day of our Lebanon tour was probably our busiest but it was most insightful in to the challenges that we will face and has made it more clear, what we should focus on with our research project. 

Tight squeeze for 8!

After a painfully early start and navigating our way through the chaos that is Beirut rush hour traffic, pleasant smells of orange blossoms followed immediately by the stench of the infamously alive trash mountain of Saida, we headed South for our first meeting of the day with the Litani Water Administration of the Nabatieh region. After almost an hour waiting for our man to show up we learnt that the administration is responsible for the management of ten large wells, at 450m deep, pumping out 1000m³ which services the Nabatieh region. The region has 45,000 subscribers that pay a flat rate of around US$100 for their supply. When asked, we were informed that there has never been a case of water shortage from these wells and as such there has been no investigation in to rain water collection or other water conservation methods. The only issue the administration faces are the electricity cuts that is common throughout Lebanon, however that is solved simply by diesel powered generators. In relation to the Rocky Village, we were informed that there is a well that has been constructed in Arnoun that is awaiting a 50kW pump to be installed before being serviceable. It was stated that it would be no issue to install infrastructure to provide the Rocky Village with a domestic water supply of around 10-20m³ per day but unlikely to provide for agricultural use. We also asked about the possibility of a well to be established at the Rocky Village site, and the response was that it is possible, just requires a simple application to the appropriate authority in Beirut and we would know the result after two days and if approved the administration will install and maintain the well at no cost to the Rocky Village. By the end of the meeting, there was some doubt about the authenticity of the information given to us. However, it was an educational experience in to the kind of situations that can arise when speaking with government related authorities. 

Office of the Litani Water Administration 

After a short drive, we reached our next destination, the headquarters of The Confederation of Municipalities Union of Shqif region. This was a very formal meeting with the head of the confederation and some advisors and assistants. However, due to the language barriers it became a tedious process having to repeat everything that was said twice. However the attitudes of these official was much more realistic. They seemed genuinely interested to collaborate and support this project as they see the importance and community benefits it could bring to their region. However, their predominant focus is to secure water supply not only for the Rocky Village but also for the region as a whole. Unlike the scenario painted by the Water Administration, the Confederation was quick to point out there are water supply issues for the region, with half their water requirements being supplied by private water companies delivered by truck, a costly process. They highlighted that the problems include the climatic conditions - six months of the year there is close to no rainfall, problems with the water supply network where maintenance requirements are not fulfilled by the Water Administration and pushed on to the municipalities, which puts further pressure on their resources. 

In the meeting we also learnt that there is one rain water collection facility already in existence in Arnoun, but it is old, not maintained and the water collected is only suitable for tobacco plantation and nothing else. We were also advised that smaller initiatives is the appropriate way to approach the problem, rather than attempting to find a large scale solution. They also agreed that rain water harvesting would be beneficial and a suitable approach to the problem as on average, there is sufficient rainfall in the region, just that there is a surplus of it in the winter months which needs to be captured. 

Government bureaucracies and inefficiencies were also highlighted as challenges to our project. As an example, there have been plans for thirteen dams in the region, but so far only two have been implemented and unlikely any more will be constructed in the near future. Again, the issue of funding recourses came up. The confederation relies on funding from higher authorities or sometimes from NGOs and they do not have an independent, decentralised budget system (unlike European practices). We asked about awareness of the residents to their water supply situation and weather it would be beneficial to conduct an educational campaign about water conservation techniques, and their response was that it would be beneficial, but realistically economic incentives, such as metered water supply, would be the most effective approach. Lastly, we discussed the process of obtaining private funding for the project outside of the government and we were informed that even private donations to the Confederation must be reported through a "independent, unsupervised government agency." The words used there, speak for itself. 

Meeting with the confederation - along with great cakes and juices from a nearby café!

We then finally made it to the Rock Village site! Here we appreciated the beauty and tranquility of the surroundings and made the most of the sunshine! We also met with Castro, a friend of Nassib's and a farmer that has been using the land of the Rocky Village for some farming in the past couple of years. We asked about his farming methods and whether he has faced any significant problems when farming here. Surprisingly, he has only relied on natural rainwater fall for his crops so far, and they have been successful. However he has been using commercial farming methods and informed us that Organic farming would not be commercially viable for him. He has also attempted to persuade Nassib to look in to olive tree plantation as they are more financially rewarding, and highlighted what we learnt at ICARDA,  the importance of wheat farming subsidies. 

With Castro the local farmer on the Rocky Village Site

The final meeting took place with the Mayor of Arnoun province. He confirmed that the well in Arnoun has been constructed and will begin operation this coming summer. It will pump out 90m³/hour with the and will provide sufficient water supplies for three towns for both domestic and agricultural use. He also gave us a brief outline of the process of application and construction of the well. With regards with water conservation, there has been no plans for water conservation previously but especially not now as there will be sufficient water supply. However, personal rainwater harvesting is already in existence in the towns by the form of underground concrete tanks, but the water is only used for irrigation purposes. We also learnt that there is no sewerage network for the region, which is not overly surprising as it is semi-rural, however raw sewage is fed directly into underground pits, not sceptic tanks. The potential for ground contamination was raised, but it has not been a problem, and in fact, sewage is sometimes used to irrigate tobacco crops. 

It was a very busy day for us, but as you can see, one that was very important!! 

Day 2- ICARDA

Today we met Dr. Hassan Machlab a representative from ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in Drie Areas) at Gerbil research center in Beqaa, Lebanon. A great exchange of information took place, some very promising for the future of the rock village. ICARDA is 1 of 15 worldwide centers all involved increasing agricultural productivity in dry areas. To do this they specialize in breeding plants to select the best traits for these dry regions. The GMO's for Lebanon are bred to be disease resistant and to be better adapted for cold climates. This organization also has access to the regions largest gene bank in Syria, and has had some positive impacts on farms in the Beqqa region.

ICARDA is trying to provide these technologies to poor farmers, because higher yields provide more money for these people. They also work closey with LARI (Lebanese Agricultural Research Institution) and together have trained over 16,000 people through short course, masters, and PhD programs.

Despite all of these excellent programs, the direct impact ICARDA and LARI can have on the Rock Village is limited due to tight budgets and lack of funding. Dr. Machlab said the most direct thing they could provide were wheat seeds designed for the region. He said he would also be available by phone or meeting to talk about best ways to grow (how much fertilizer, water, etc).

He also introduced us to the idea of seed multiplication where the seeds of the crops are collected and treated so they can be planted for the next season. In two or three years this technology would allow the village to not have to buy any seeds and also possibly sell the seeds to surrounding areas. This is an area we would like to research because he said the process was quite intensive.

From here we at least know the knowledge and materials are available for the Rock Village, but funding is one of the biggest obstacles. To successfully implement these programs in the Rock Village, people first need to be educated in the methods enough so they will be able to instruct others.

Fields of ICARDA.

LEBANON: Day 1.

After an almost hitch-free flight we touched down on Beirut at about 03:15 on 19/03, beheld the magnificence of the country that would be our host for the next 6 days. The climb to our residential quarters in Al-Amal premises in Broumana and the panoramic view from that altitude was only an 'avant-gout' of what marvels awaited us.
Day 1 started after just 4 hours of sleep with a walk to the farms of Mar Chaaya monastery where we were guided through the running (the methods, resources and products) of the farm.
After the tour of the farm was the tour of Al-Amal Center where the Director (Nassib), the staff and the residents were a pure delight to know. We were treated to a delicious meal and thrilled by a drama rehearsal (thanks Shadia, Nadia and all). We concluded Day 1 with a fun trip to the streets of Beirut, and fun it was indeed.

Trip Itinerary

Marhaba,

With the help of a power generator we can finally update our blog tonight. Firstly our busy itinerary that we have planned:

Tuesday
Visit to Mar Chaaya monastery in Broummana to get an insight to their agricultural practices in their successful small scale farm.

Meeting residents of the Al-Amal centre for the disabled and tour of sweater making and wheat packaging areas.

Wednesday
Meeting with ICARDA (International Centre of Agricultural Research for the Dry Areas)

Thursday
Meeting with Litani Water Administration
Meeting with Union of Chqeef Municipalities
Field visit of Rock Village site
Meeting with Arnoun Municipality

Friday
Presentation to AUB (American University of Beirut)

Off to Lebanon!!

We set off tonight towards Beirut via Istanbul. We're all a bit excited to finally visit the country we've been researching about.

For our trip we're aiming to get some quality local insight on the environment we are researching solutions for, some reliable weather data and some knowledge of local perceptions for the ideas we have proposed.

We'll also be presenting to the American University of Beirut on Friday and hopefully we receive some quality feedback from them!

Stay tuned for live updates when we touch down!

Making progress

Today we met up again to discuss our research and to start planning our trip to Lebanon, which we are getting very excited about. 

This week we have had some responses about some enquiries made about waterless toilets and given some useful literature to consider in terms of operation and maintenance requirements of different kinds of these "alternative toilets" We have also begun to work on some presentations explaining the concepts which we hope to share to those involved with the project in Lebanon. 

Although some average rainfall data was located for Lebanon we are still seeking a more comprehensive historical set of data, as this will aid in the calculations for rainwater tank sizing, which is in the works with aid from a professor at the University of Adelaide, Australia. Hopefully we will get some contacts whilst in Lebanon that will be able to assist with the data. We are also looking at arranging a meeting with some representatives from ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) as their headquarters are situated in Beirut. Hopefully we hear from them soon! 

In the coming days we will continue to brainstorm and finalise our list of questions we would like to answer when we are present in Lebanon as well as a structured itinerary of our activities and meetings so we make the most of our time! 

Lastly, we would like to share an executive summary of our project, which we submitted with our project plan and we plan to bring some copies with us to Lebanon to distribute to interested parties of our project. We'd appreciate some feedback on it, so please don't hesitate to leave us a comment or two! 

Until next time, 

RVG2013