Examining Lebanese Stakeholders' Frames in the Fields of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development with regards to the Effectiveness and Potential of European Trade and Assistance Policies in Lebanon

This paper is part of a series of working papers that evaluate the effectiveness of existing European Union policies in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries from a bottom-up perspective as part of the MEDRESET project. The focus will be on the policies applied in the agriculture and water sectors in Lebanon. The methods used include literature review and qualitative assessment. Based on the latter, the paper explores the assessments of EU policies and recommendations given by key stakeholders in the fields of agriculture and water through a series of interviews and content analysis of their various publications. Special consideration is given to the problems of international trade, impoverished infrastructure and resources protection. Finally, the paper will attempt to pinpoint the most prominent policy issues and devise accordingly a cohesive strategy that could be used to support and guide Lebanon in the development and implementation of national policies in the fields of agriculture, water and rural development.