The Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (ESDU) within the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) at the American University of Beirut (AUB), organized a national roundtable discussion, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, titled “Greening the Dairy and Poultry Sectors” on May 6, 2026, at the Padova Hotel in Sin El Fil, Lebanon.
Implemented under the Mediterranean Waste Innovations for Sustainable Environments (MEDWISE) project, which is funded by the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, the meeting marked the first MEDWISE activity officially implemented in Lebanon. The roundtable brought together representatives from ministries, academia, syndicates, and private sector stakeholders to discuss practical pathways toward more sustainable, resilient, and resource-efficient dairy and poultry sectors in Lebanon.
The event opened with keynote speeches by Dr. Ammar Olabi, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) at the American University of Beirut (AUB); Dr. Shady Hamadeh, Executive Director of ESDU-AUB; Ms. Sawsan Bou Fakhreddine, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and representative of the Ministry of Agriculture; and Mr. Adel El Chabab, Director General and representative of the Ministry of Industry.
In their remarks, the keynote speakers emphasized the importance of scientific research and innovation in supporting the recovery and sustainability of Lebanon’s agricultural sector. They also highlighted the urgent need for green and AI-driven transitions in response to mounting environmental and agricultural challenges, while stressing the importance of stronger institutional coordination, sustainable sector transformation, and circular economy approaches that recognize agricultural by-products as valuable economic resources rather than waste.
The second session featured sector-focused interventions by Eng. William Boutros, Head of the Poultry Syndicate; Eng. Kheir El Jarrah, Head of the Dairy Sector Committee at the Ministry of Agriculture; and Eng. Nour Ghadban, an Animal Science expert. Collectively, the speakers addressed key structural challenges affecting Lebanon’s dairy and poultry sectors, including feed dependency, rising operational costs, infrastructure limitations, waste management, licensing procedures, and market competitiveness.
Moderated by Eng. Rami Boujawdeh and Eng. Rayan Haydar, the roundtable concluded with two breakout discussion groups dedicated to the poultry and dairy sectors respectively. Participants collectively identified priority intervention areas and proposed recommendations focused on governance reform, export competitiveness, renewable energy integration, waste management infrastructure, feed localization, and stronger public-private coordination. They also explored opportunities for integrating circular economy approaches, renewable energy solutions, waste valorization systems, and resource-efficient production models into sector development strategies.
The discussions explored how these opportunities can be integrated through:
- Shared wastewater treatment infrastructure and cooperative composting systems
- Solar-powered irrigation, cooling, and energy-efficient processing systems
- Valorization of poultry by-products, whey, manure, and organic residues into compost, fertilizers, and renewable energy sources
- Research-driven pilot initiatives supporting waste recovery and circular production models
- Improved water recovery, reuse systems, and resource-efficient industrial operations
Participants emphasized that advancing these approaches will require stronger policy coordination, investment in infrastructure, technical validation, public-private collaboration, and pilot implementation models within industrial zones and agricultural production systems across Lebanon.
The “Greening the Dairy and Poultry Sectors” Roundtable Discussion reflects ESDU’s continued commitment, which it has upheld for 25 years and now proudly marks through its silver jubilee anniversary to advancing sustainable waste management, industrial symbiosis, circular economy practices, and climate-resilient agricultural systems in Lebanon and across the Mediterranean region through the MEDWISE project.
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