Sustainable Agriculture Course and Ecotourism
The main objectives of the sessions was to provide young people the adequate knowledge and experience to find jobs in the agricultural and in the tourism sectors in the Shouf region, and to establish and/or improve their own sustainable farming.
10 training sessions on sustainable agriculture were prepared and delivered to young people in the Shouf area (from17 July until 11 August 2015 for a total duration of 34 hours)
12 training sessions on Ecotourism were addressed (in September 2015) to more than 50 youth in the Shouf region.
Young people in the Shouf area.
22 sessions were prepared and delivered on different subjects related to the concept of sustainable agriculture and Ecotourism; sessions included theoretical sessions with tangible examples, field visits and practical work sessions
- Introduction to sustainable agriculture: concept, trends, practices
- Natural resources management and biodiversity conservation
- Organic agriculture: concept, history, conditions, benefits
- Organic agriculture: practical examples
- Animal integration in farming systems
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM) : concept and practices.
- Water conservation in agriculture: localized irrigation and water harvest
- Adding value to agricultural products: food dehydration
These sessions were followed by a wrap-up session to go through all the material that was given and to make sure all information were clear and at the level of expectation.
- Definition of eco-tourism, the three main pillars of eco-tourism leisure in protected areas, nature conservation and local economy, the needed infrastructure and materials with less impact on nature, how to create an eco-tourism product and how to design eco-tourism packages
- Case studies and examples from the local, national and international levels such as the Moukhtara valley trail, Tawlet Ammiq and the Mediterranean experience of eco-tourism – MEET project (CBC-MED ENPI project), etc
- Field visit to the Moukhtara River Valley Trail
Ecosystem restoration and Biomass management
- Ecosystem restoration plan in Shouf Biosphere Reserve which is aimed to strengthen our ecosystems to be more resilience for the climate change
- Restoration of the abandoned land and feasibility study to show the social impact of the restoration activities
- Biomass management to protect our forest from forest fires and provide an alternative to the wood in our region
- Field visit to a biomass management site in Khraibeh /Maasser
Rural development program (processing food and handicraft)
- High quality products (labeling, bio-certification, atelier, etc)
- Handicraft items (new concept, creativity, promotion, etc)
- Youth, creativity and marketing
- Visit a local producer / atelier in Mrusti village
The economic value of the Protected areas
- Water provision
- Food provision
- Cultural heritage
Federation of Municipalities of Higher Chouf
Sessions were given either in the library of Mokhtara or in the house of the Shouf Biosphere Reserve in Maasser el-Shouf. ( View map )