Lebanese couple turn to farming to survive crisis - in pictures

They learnt how to set up greenhouses by watching YouTube videos

Lebanese couple Qassem and Khadija Shreim turn to agriculture to try and keep their family afloat amid the country's deteriorating financial situation. All photos: Reuters

A former builder, Shreim "used to employ eight to ten men. Now, I can no longer employ a single one of them because I, myself, am not working, I am not able to find any work. We were very confused at first, we couldn't work so what did we do? We turned to agriculture.’’

Shreim learned how to set up greenhouses by watching YouTube videos.

"I planted wheat, barley and lentils. I planted watermelons, and once the watermelon season finishes, we will plant mallow, and once mallow season finishes, we’ll plant 'makdous' (small eggplants). There are products such as grapes, we buy and sell them, the things we are missing, we bring what we are missing from someone else."

Food prices have increased 11-fold in Lebanon since 2020 and the cost of fuel is also too high for the Shreims to take their produce to markets in Beirut, so they sell their fruits and vegetables locally instead.

"My house here is very far from the village," says Khadija Shreim. "I have a group (on Whatsapp) with all the women I know, they call me the 'mukhtara' (mayor) of the village here, I know everyone in the village. I created a group and I send the prices daily, every morning at 9:00 a.m."

"Thank God. Agriculture makes one steadfast," says Qassem Shreim. "It’s better than sitting around doing nothing - either not earning any money or losing money. I won’t go back to my old job, I won’t move backwards. I want to continue, farming has a future. Of course, I am thinking of expanding my cultivation."

More from The National:

Lebanon appoints local auditor for collapsing state electricity company

Lebanon energy minister blames 'politics' for delay of electricity imports through Syria

Lebanon's healthcare sector a 'bomb waiting to explode', minister says

Lebanon’s private sector economy slumps the least since 2016

Lebanon's financial crisis explained: what happened and why is the country stuck?