Food Security and Examples in Lebanon
What is Food Security?
When I first heard the words, I thought Food Security sounds like two armed bodyguards disguised in a hot-dog costume. But it’s really not that.
The gist of Food Security is access to healthy food and appropriate nutrition.
Yet, beyond that, achieving food security depends on the success of the whole food system: Production (agriculture, hunting, processing and packaging), Distribution (transportation and wholesaling), Access to growing, hunting, and buying food, Consumption (preparing, preserving, and waste consumption), and Disposal of food (including recycling and composting).
Likewise, a healthy and sustainable food system is environmentally and economically sustainable and considers the well-being of the consumer.
At MakeSense, we have identified 3 sub-challenges in the food system that must be addressed with solutions.
The first challenge: How to help farmers produce food (fishing, hunting, growing and harvesting) while respecting the environment? What are the techniques that prevent over consumption of water? At the same time, what are the viable systems that grant farmers a decent living?
Souk el Tayeb is the first Lebanese Farmer’s market that aims to bring forward the hardwork and product of talented farmers and empower them financially by giving them a marketplace every Sunday morning downtown Beirut.
The second challenge: How to distribute food efficiently and conserve it safely? What are fair and efficient distribution food systems?
How is it possible that Food waste and Food poverty coexist? FoodBlessed a Lebanese non-profit organization launched an ambitious project called Souper Meals on Wheels (SMW), a volunteer-driven food truck that sells pizza at night to sustain its activity of donating meals during the day to the most needy ones and the hardest to reach.
Fwee, a french startup, is using a cultural Persian technique “Lavashak” to fight against producer to avoid wasting the fruits that could not be sold or consumed straight away.
Indeed, fighting against food waste is part of the food security campaign.
The third challenge: How to promote a healthy and better food consumption?
This relates to an exemplary restaurant that provide balanced menu, with local products and traditional dishes rather than fattening, microwaved pizza (or hot dogs).
Kitchen Confidential, is a health food restaurant newly established in Lebanon, Ashrafieh, that caters gluten free, sugar free, soy free, natural and organic, and allergen friendly food.
MakeSense wants to accelerate the impact of social entrepreneurs who take the issue of Food Security seriously.
Connect with MakeSense to help us find more social food start-ups that are facing challenges in any business aspect, in order to imagine concrete solutions, ensure the sustainability of their impact and grow.
Through your engagement, we can all make a difference together.
Elsa is helping the MakeSense community to grow in Lebanon and the MENA region.
She is working with volunteers in different cities to get citizens involved in solving social startups’ challenges. If you’re a social entrepreneur or want to help one, get in touch with her at elsa@makesense.org
