Yet in some areas this has led local councils to urge inhabitants not to receive or rent their properties to newcomers, Syrians or Lebanese, so as to prevent the virus from spreading. Smaller towns and villages have seen a larger influx of people from urban areas, who prefer to be confined in rural areas where they are freer to move around. Local councils have taken the lead across Lebanon in fighting the spread of Covid-19, imposing curfews and quarantines and going so far as to block roads to control the flow of people in and out of municipal boundaries. The Covid-19 crisis has also set in motion dynamics empowering municipalities, which would be the drivers of more decentralized economic activity, such as agriculture. That means that unless the country can help itself and find ways to revive its economy, there may be a new momentum to leave urban areas and return to the village, adding vitality to local life outside the cities. The global economic shutdown has meant that Lebanon may find it that much more difficult to secure assistance from the International Monetary Fund, given that so many other countries are also in distress. The coronavirus crisis and the growing economic strain it has placed on an already battered economy have had several repercussions on the impulse to leave urban areas. Overall, the efforts were not sufficient to increase agricultural production and meet local demand. Little thought was given to which crops were needed or how to sustain agriculture outside specific seasons. This was mainly due to a lack of expertise and a dearth of funds to purchase imported seeds and fertilizers. That effort came to a standstill after the demobilization of Lebanon’s protest movement and the appointment of a new government last January. Municipalities in the South, the North, Mount Lebanon, and the Beqa‘ Valley have made plans to cultivate unused land, and they have distributed seeds and organized agricultural cooperatives. The aim is not so much to resolve the problem of rising food prices, but to mitigate its impact. While the expansion of agriculture has not been significant, it has not been negligible either. They have also advised planting certain crops over others. In certain places, party-affiliated local councils have surveyed the needs of the population and identified unused land for agriculture. Hezbollah has appeared to be the most prepared for this effort. There have been reports that some parties have stored food for their constituencies in the event the situation worsens. The most vocal supporter of expanding agriculture has been the Druze leader Walid Joumblatt, who urged his followers last December to return to the land. For politicians or parties, supporting agriculture and a decentralization of the economy and daily life represents a way of retaining legitimacy in difficult times, while also providing a means of maintaining their influence over their sectarian or local clients. Not surprisingly, political actors, alongside municipalities and nongovernmental organizations, have played a leading role in the campaign. However, reversing decades of urbanization, with more than 90 percent of Lebanese today living in and around cities, will not be easy, especially without the necessary funding. The Lebanese have a collective memory of the great famine that swept Mount Lebanon between 19, which killed an estimated 200,000 people, at the time half the population of the mountains. That is why local campaigns have advocated expanding agriculture to provide food security, while barter arrangements have been introduced as an alternative to the cash economy. With the county’s foreign currency reserves dwindling, there is a real fear that it may not be able to feed itself in the coming months. One thing that has driven this approach is that Lebanon imports most of its food. Fearing that this could lead to shortages in vital necessities such as food, backers of such an approach have increasingly been making their case. Urban life has become difficult as Lebanese have lost their jobs, the Lebanese pound has depreciated, and foreign assistance to Lebanon has not been forthcoming. Amid Lebanon’s deepening economic and financial crisis, individuals, organizations, and state bodies have launched initiatives encouraging people to return to their villages and engage in agriculture.
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