A Fertile Ground for Alternatives: Looking at Lebanon’s Traditions Amid a Climate Storm
Golden wheat fields in Lebanon during harvest. Photo by Rashid Khreiss on Unsplash. Sowing traditions It was an unusually warm and sunny autumn morning as a friend and I parked on the side of the Chtoura-Nabatieh road, facing the entrance of the Ammiq reserve, the largest remaining freshwater wetland in Lebanon. We crossed the […]
“Cedar Exodus”: EcoRove Reclaims the Narrative of the Cedar Tree
Note from Al Rawiya Team: Many in Lebanon and outside of it have a tumultuous relationship with the Cedrus libani — the infamous Lebanese Cedar tree — relating it to the narratives that many right-wing politicians inside the country or many foreign colonial and imperialist entities have promoted. Linking a variety of disciplines together in […]
Environmental Devastation by the Occupier: Unraveling the Silent Crisis
In the turbulent landscape of war, where the focus often rests on human conflict and geopolitical struggles, a silent crisis is unfolding — ecocide. This term, pointing to the purposeful damage and destruction of ecosystems, encapsulates the devastating impact of armed conflicts on the environment, magnifying the consequences of war beyond human suffering. Addressing the […]
(In)Sovereign Soils: Lebanon’s Entrapment in a Global Monopoly on Agriculture
The village of Khiam, near the city of Nabatieh in the Jabal Amil region. Lebanon. Photo courtesy of Staselnik under CC BY-SA 3.0 Since the late 19th century, the world has gone through three phases of global food regimes. The first lasted throughout the colonial era and emphasized Europe’s agricultural hegemony over colonized countries; the second […]
Being a Part of the Solution, One Garden at a Time: An Interview with SOILS Permaculture Association Lebanon
Foreword: Harmonizing the interaction between humans, nature, and food systems is the very mission of SOILS Permaculture Association Lebanon. For the past seven years, SOILS has been working on introducing permaculture in Lebanon, organising workshops and apprenticeships in permaculture and other related topics such as beekeeping, as well as preparing informational material. In this article, […]
Mount Hermon: What’s Next for Lebanon’s Newest Nature Reserve
Lebanon’s identity resides largely in the uniqueness of its geographical location and the diversity of its landscapes. From the thin coastal plain to the summits of Mount Lebanon, from the Bekaa plateau to the Anti-Lebanon mountain chain, this strong sequencing of landscapes is exceptional for such a small country. Its geography is part of the […]
Beyond Dams: Turning to Alternative Solutions for Water in Lebanon
Author’s Note: For a country the size of Lebanon, hosting a wide diversity of ecosystems and spectacular landscapes is equally unique and precious. The countries’ environment, however, has been subject to a longstanding onslaught enabled by a laissez-faire economic system. This commodification of natural resources is further exacerbated by a sectarian political system turning land […]