The Agricultural Center of the North (CAN)

Location:
Mejdlaya, North Lebanon

Partners
The European Union
Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (AECI)
Fundación Promoción Social de la Cultura (FPSC)
Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF)

 

Description

The Agricultural Center of the North (CAN) was established in October 1997 and became the heart of RMF's various agricultural activities which have been running since 1994.

Today, its staff consists of 60 employees: a director, a secretary, an accountant, 15 agricultural engineers and 42 other employees (workers, drivers, etc.). The center's facilities include an administrative wing; sorting, packing and cold storage units; and dairy and ice cream production units. The center's pilot farm and pilot plant nursery are each within a ten-minute drive.

Using research and scientific studies, CAN concentrates its efforts on supporting the development of the rural and agricultural sector, which is in great need. Covering Akkar, Koura, Zgharta, Dannieh, Ehden, Bcharré and Batroun, CAN's activities have succeeded in improving the quality and yield of agricultural products; aiding the processing and marketing of products; and reducing production costs.

The center's objectives target the whole agricultural cycle. They can be summarized as follows:

Training of farmers
Provision of technical assistance
Aid to farmers to collect, package and store their products
Aid to farmers to process their products
Assistance to farmers to commercialize and market their end product

CAN services are offered through the following:

Training and technical assistance to farmers: Workshops and seminars are organized and field visits are conducted to farms to offer specific recommendations.

Mechanization services: Agricultural machines (tractors, sprayers, etc.) are rented to farmers at a reduced price.

Sorting, grading, and packaging unit

Cold storage unit

The milk collection and dairy production unit: Under the commercial brand name "Marj".

Ice cream production unit: 100% natural ice cream under the brand name "Booza Marj".

Pilot animal farm: Introduces new European breeds of goats and cattle.

Plant nursery: Enhances reforestation while preserving the genetic identity of Lebanese forests. Provides healthy fruit tree saplings to farmers at affordable prices (apple, pear, peach, prune, apricot, nectarine, olive, etc.) and introduces new varieties to Lebanon.

Laboratory: Analyzes soil, water and milk.

An exhibition room for CAN's and farmers' products, a cafeteria, and an industrial kitchen will be inaugurated before April 2006. A restaurant serving food produced by CAN is planned for the near future.