The World Bank issued a press release on June 29, 2023 in which it announced that it will grant $200 million to assist Lebanese farmers and SMEs in the agri-food sector to better endure the multiple crises plaguing the country. According to the press release, the Green-Agri Food Transformation for Economic Recovery (GATE) Project will support productive investments that enhance the productivity of the agriculture sector and boost market access. The World Bank mentioned that the agri-food sector provides livelihood to circa 20% of the Lebanese population and contributes to food security. Similarly, the World Bank noted that the multiple crises in the country and the rise in the prices of fertilizers & fuel globally which was aggravated by the foreign exchange crisis in Lebanon, have severely impacted the production in the agri-food sector. The press release also stated that all the aforementioned challenges are further aggravated by the impact of climate change and increasingly limited water & land resources thereby stressing on the need to implement “climate smart practices and regulations”. In addition, the World Bank Middle East Country Director Mr. Jean-Christophe Carret noted that by tackling the main challenges facing farmers and small & medium agri-food enterprises, the GATE project will offer support to numerous farmers and agri-food SMEs and will also assist in the recovery of the Lebanese agri-food sector on the short and medium term and draft a pathway towards its viable transformation. The GATE project will restore access to finance for farmers & agri-food SMEs, support climate smart infrastructure & services for agri-food development in rural areas whether through rehabilitating and/or upgrading some irrigation schemes, rural feeder roads and constructing hill lakes. From another perspective, the World Bank mentioned that around 80,000 farmers (circa 50% of the total number of farmers) are estimated to benefit from the GATE project while simultaneously ensuring equal access to opportunities for vulnerable groups. Furthermore, the project will maintain the jobs of more than 22,000 farmers & workers and create circa 2,200 new job opportunities through improving production capacity at beneficiary SMEs and the rehabilitation of agriculture related infrastructure. Similarly, the project will improve food safety by introducing better quality products to the market. Finally, the press release noted that a project steering committee, which will be chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Energy & Water and Minister of Economy & Trade, will be set up to supervise the implementation of project activities and to address any obstacles that might be encountered during the project’s execution.