Food security in southern Lebanon is no longer merely a question of local agricultural production. Lebanon fundamentally depends on imports to secure its food supply, importing more than 80% of the calories it consumes. As a result, food insecurity during wartime is tied to a much broader system than farmland alone: the country’s ability to import, people’s ability to afford food, the safety of roads and transportation networks, and the cleanliness of water and soil. Food security in the south, therefore, cannot be understood solely as an agricultural issue, but rather as an interconnected system facing mounting pressure under the burden of war.
Food Security: More Than Local Production
Dr. Rami Zurayk, Professor of Ecosystem Management at the American University of Beirut and an expert on food security and food sovereignty, stresses that food security cannot be reduced to local food production alone. The concept, he explains, rests on multiple dimensions, beginning with food availability, whether sourced domestically or imported from abroad.
Zurayk adds that the second dimension of food security is access to food, which includes both economic and logistical aspects. Economically, access depends on people’s purchasing power and income levels. Logistically, it depends on the safety of roads and the ability to transport and distribute food supplies.
Food security cannot be reduced to local food production alone.
The war has directly affected both dimensions. The suspension of economic activity has weakened purchasing power due to inflation, which is expected to reach 35%, while bombardment and the destruction of roads have disrupted transportation routes. Zurayk notes that the destruction of roads in areas such as Wadi al-Slouqi in southern Lebanon has made food delivery more difficult and significantly increased transportation costs, worsening the crisis. The valley connects villages and towns across the central, eastern, and western sectors and serves as a vital corridor for the movement of agricultural products and food supplies.
The third dimension relates to food safety, which is directly tied to water safety. It is impossible to speak of safe food in the absence of clean water for drinking, cooking, or agriculture. Water contamination or shortages have immediate consequences for human health, making this dimension essential to understanding food security.
A Systematic Dismantling of the Food System
Zurayk believes that what is happening in southern Lebanon goes beyond direct destruction and amounts to a systematic dismantling of the foundations of food security. This dismantling begins by preventing farmers from accessing their land, thereby weakening production capacity, and extends to undermining access to food both economically and logistically.
Infrastructure, especially water-related infrastructure, is also being destroyed, limiting people’s access to essential resources. Military operations further contaminate the soil, with consequences for the environment, agriculture, and human health.
Understanding food security during war therefore requires viewing it as an integrated system being dismantled on multiple levels, not merely as a question of agricultural production.
Soil Contamination: A Delayed but Persistent Threat
This dismantling does not stop at disrupting production and access to food. It also alters the environmental conditions upon which food itself depends, particularly soil and water.
In this context, research findings reveal deeply concerning environmental dimensions. Nermine Faour, an agricultural engineer at the Environmental Laboratory of the American University of Beirut, and Lynn Dirani, an environmental engineer and PhD candidate in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, explain that soil in war-affected areas shows elevated concentrations of heavy metals, particularly cadmium and nickel, as a result of munitions residue and explosions.
These findings are part of the project “Terra Devastata: The Environmental Impact of the Israeli War on Southern Lebanon,” funded by the American University of Beirut’s seed funding program for research on the ongoing war in Lebanon.
Soil in war-affected areas contains elevated concentrations of heavy metals, particularly cadmium and nickel, due to munitions residue and explosions.
Faour and Dirani explain that the bioavailable portion of these metals remained relatively low, largely due to the calcareous nature of the soil, its high alkalinity, and the presence of calcium carbonate, all of which limit the solubility and mobility of heavy metals.
However, low bioavailability does not eliminate the danger. It indicates that these metals may remain fixed in the soil while gradually accumulating in plants, especially crops capable of efficiently absorbing cadmium. Over time, this accumulation may transfer heavy metals to humans through chronic exposure. Cadmium is associated with kidney and bone damage and is classified as carcinogenic, while nickel may cause respiratory and allergic conditions and could also have carcinogenic effects in the long term.
Scientific Verification Through Community Participation
Faour and Dirani add that at the beginning of the study in 2023, professional monitoring was impossible due to bombardment. Researchers therefore adopted a participatory approach involving local communities in collecting samples according to standardized protocols.
The sampling process relied on a circular design around explosion sites and shallow soil depths ranging from 0 to 15 centimeters. This allowed researchers to collect approximately 200 documented samples and produce the first community-based map of soil contamination while adhering to ethical standards.
White Phosphorus: Immediate Impact and Long-Term Environmental Risk
Regarding white phosphorus, the findings, according to Faour and Dirani, indicate elevated levels of total and bioavailable phosphorus in the soil. Its behavior does not appear as that of a directly toxic contaminant, but rather resembles the effects of excessive fertilization. However, the most significant impact of white phosphorus lies in the severe fires it causes, leading to the rapid destruction of vegetation cover. Over the long term, excess phosphorus runoff into water bodies may contribute to eutrophication, disrupting aquatic ecosystems.
Delayed Risks Do Not Eliminate the Threat
In summarizing their findings, Faour and Dirani note that heavy metals and phosphorus tend to remain fixed within the soil under these conditions, reducing their immediate danger but not eliminating the cumulative environmental and health risks over the long term.
According to their reading of previous studies, the researchers stress that mitigating war-related contamination is possible through practical measures, most importantly continuous monitoring of soil and crops, adapting agricultural practices, and adopting natural techniques that help immobilize pollutants within the soil and limit their transfer to plants. They also recommend reducing the cultivation of highly sensitive crops such as tobacco in affected areas and shifting toward more resilient crops such as olive trees, while conducting regular testing to ensure product safety.
From Laboratory Findings to Field Decisions
Within this framework, the “Terra Devastata” project is working to return its findings transparently to local communities. Soon, the results of the analyses will be shared with farmers and municipalities through field meetings and simplified reports. Farmers will receive clear guidance to help them make informed decisions. If heavy metal levels are deemed safe, agricultural activity can continue normally. In cases of moderate contamination, the use of soil amendments such as organic matter and compost is recommended, alongside avoiding root crops. In cases of severe contamination, it is preferable to temporarily halt food crop cultivation and instead focus on cover plants and soil rehabilitation. This direct engagement aims to transform research findings from abstract data into practical measures that strengthen awareness, trust, and environmental responsibility.
In this context, Faour and Dirani emphasize the critical role of relevant ministries, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Public Health, in designing and implementing effective national plans. These plans should include accurate mapping of affected areas, regular monitoring programs, and clear guidance for farmers on safe agricultural practices. They also stress the importance of supporting laboratory testing and strengthening oversight of agricultural products in markets to ensure their safety.
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