Alimentation, eau et économie sociale
- PDF, 4 p.
Food shortage
Half the population threatened by food insecurity
This issue examines food insecurity in Lebanon. By December 2021, 53% of residents needed social assistance, while food imports of about US$4 billion a year cover 55% of supply. The Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket rose from LBP1.01 million in October 2019 to LBP7.4 million in June 2022, and average salaries now cover only 24% of it. It attributes this to poverty, inflation, subsidy removal, weak local production and dual pricing.
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- PDF, 4 p.
Water: five main priorities
Storage, supply, losses and the public–private question
This issue examines the mismanagement of Lebanon's abundant water resources. The report identifies fragmented governance, a network designed for two million inhabitants, unmetered lump-sum tariffs, contamination and rationing, with agriculture accounting for 60% of demand. It sets five priorities: retaining rain and snowmelt, continuous supply, wastewater recycling for irrigation, hydroelectric dams and export of surplus water, estimating potential state revenue of US$2–3 billion a year through public-private partnerships involving municipalities.
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- PDF, 2 p.
Effects of price volatility on the cost of living in Lebanon
Field study across retail, health, fuel, education and services
This paper reports a 2022 field survey across Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Zahlé and Tripoli measuring how exchange-rate uncertainty shaped pricing in retail, health, education and professional services relative to 2019–2020. It identifies a ratchet effect, whereby retailers price at anticipated future exchange rates and never adjust downwards, and estimates inflation above 850% for earners paid in Lebanese pounds against roughly 21% for those paid in US dollars.
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