Rehabilitating the ancient terraced lands of Lebanon

Rami A. Zurayk

Excerpt

Lebanon's mild climate distinguishes it from the surrounding arid and semiarid Middle Eastern countries. This climate results principally from the fact that the Lebanon mountain range runs parallel to the Mediterranean coast, forming a narrow coastal plain. The mountain range is one of the highest in the region, peaking at 10,135 feet, and the steepness of its slopes combined with the rainfall it receives (up to 60 inches a year) contribute to making the mountain lands an exceptional agro-ecosystern. Mountain agriculture is largely dependent on stone-walled bench terraces, some more than 2,500 years old. However, these essential soil conservation structures have been seriously damaged, partly as a result of Lebanon's long, crippling war. The future of agriculture in the mountains, and the people who depend on this ancient agro-ecosystem, will be largely determined by which rehabilitation and conservation measures are adopted to deal with the problems that have arisen here.

The reconstruction of Lebanon

Lebanon is slowly emerging from fifteen years of a debilitating civil war, during which the economic and …

Footnotes

Rami A. Zuravk is assistant professor of soil sciences in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food sciences at the American, University of Beirut. New York, NY, 10022.
Copyright 1994 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society

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