ReliefWeb

Following requests from the village of Adshit al-Qusayr in south-eastern Lebanon, UNIFIL has donated a number of agricultural equipment in support of local farmers that will improve food security of the village.

During a ceremony on 29 September, UNIFIL Sector East Commander Brigadier General Luis Jesús Fernández Herrero handed over the equipment to Mayor Mohamad Sweidan of the village, in presence of local community leaders, Lebanese army representatives and fellow peacekeepers.

The donated equipment includes, among others, lawn mower cutting machine (3 pieces), battery-powered hand pump sprayer (3 pieces), olive picker/shaker (2 pieces), ground drill machine/hole digger (1 piece), walking hand tractor (2 pieces), agricultural tractor (1 piece), chainsaw (1 piece) and ploughing blades (1 piece).

While expressing gratitude for the UNIFIL support, which comes from the Mission’s Quick Impact Project (QIP) fund, Mayor Sweidan said it will benefit up to 900 farmers, whose main sources of income are agriculture and livestock.

UNIFIL QIPs are small-scale, rapidly implementable projects which are intended to address some of the most pressing needs of the host population while strengthening links between UNIFIL and local communities.

Between their core peacekeeping duties, UNIFIL peacekeepers regularly carry out various activities, like this one, in support of the host communities, which – together with their operational activities – have helped keep calm in the Mission's area of operation for more than 14 years.