CEDARSplus program -
Expand the Agricultural Central Market (Nationwide) project
Duration
February 2006 - November 2007
Funding Partners
Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF)
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Implementing Partners
Professional Computer association of Lebanon (PCA).
Barakat COOP.
Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL).
Ministry of Agriculture.
Agricultural Cooperatives throughout Lebanon.
Description of the project
Under the CEDARS program, the Agricultural Center of the North (CAN) in Zgharta was expanded to provide sorting, packing, storing, and packaging services, including fresh-cutting. CEDARS also linked CAN and the Agricultural Center in Douris (ACD) together to establish an Agricultural Central Market. This system uses phone, fax, and email to provide information and marketing services for various agricultural stakeholders.
The CEDARSplus program will link CAN and ACD with other agricultural centers in Lebanon, including extension centers in Saida, the Beqaa, and Tyre.
This Virtual Central Market will link farmers, agro-food producers, exporters, processors, distributors, and buyers. This online space will facilitate the trading of agricultural and agro-food products and allow the exchange of updated production information, diversification of supply, and distribution sources in an effort to achieve a continuous supply.
CEDARSplus will expand the Central and Virtual Markets to provide farmers, traders, hotels, hypermarkets, and other stakeholders with access to information regarding the availability, quantities, and prices of specific agricultural products. Moreover, major supermarkets, hypermarkets, hotels, wholesalers, traders and commercial centers have indicated high interest in linking with the Market - even agreeing in principle to pay a subscription fee for use of the service. This channel will also assist farmers to market and sell their produce by strengthening and creating new links between traders and consumers all over Lebanon and twenty local cooperatives and local NGOs will be linked to the software to market their produce.
Beyond the software and online infrastructure linking the centers with buyers, CEDARSplus will design and implement an integrated marketing strategy which will include the creation of two retail showrooms, in Beirut and Jounieh, and the organization of various events and advertising campaigns. The two showrooms' sales will guarantee the sustainability of the project after the ninth month of activity. Events such as fairs and festivals will be organized. These events will target local products (i.e. apples, olives) to promote them locally and internationally. In addition, advertising campaigns will be included for marketing different agricultural products.
RMF will provide management for operation of the Central and Virtual Markets. Professional Computer association of Lebanon (PCA) will provide technical assistance for the continued development and upgrading of the online system. CHF will provide linkages between stakeholders to promote local production of agricultural products and provide technical assistance and support for project activities. Agricultural engineers will be hired to carry out extension services (i.e. workshops, lectures, on-site counseling) which will focus on new methods for packaging, marketing, meeting international standards and quality control.
Expected Results
4,000 farmers and cooperative members will have access to the Central Market.
12,000 tons/year of goods will be packed, processed or exported through the Central Market.
$5 million per year will be generated through the Central Market.
250 jobs will be created.