One of the consequences of the deadly Beirut explosion was destruction of the silos at the Port of Beirut and the loss of the precious grains stored in them.
Lebanon is going through the worst economic crisis in its history and relies heavily on imports to secure its grain supply. In response to this disaster, Horizons International is acquiring a piece of land to help produce food locally for the Lebanese people.
The land that the organizations plans to buy, in the fertile Beqaa Valley, will also help provide employment to the Lebanese, amid soaring unemployment rates in the collapsing country.
Pierre Houssney of Horizons International compares the current situation of those who work the agricultural land in Lebanon to serfdom, noting that landowners have the leverage over the workers and often pay low wages for their good work.
“Most of the people that work the land right now in that area are really being taken advantage of by the agricultural industry,” he told MNN.
The Christian organization is already helping provide food for the Lebanese in the current dire circumstances.
Following the Beirut Port explosion in August, Horizons International set up the Lebanon Crisis Fund, formerly called the Coronavirus Emergency Relief Fund, in order to provide aid in Lebanon in the form of food distribution as well as access to medicine for the vulnerable communities.
