By Abdullahi Lukman
Food insecurity in Lebanon remains widespread and fragile, with nearly 874,000 people facing crisis or emergency levels of acute food insecurity between November 2025 and March 2026, according to a new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis.
The report, produced by the Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme, estimates that about 17 percent of the population analysed is currently affected.
While the findings point to modest stabilisation compared with earlier periods, they warn that conditions remain highly vulnerable to economic, political, and security shocks.
Certain areas continue to be disproportionately affected, including parts of Baalbek and El Hermel, Akkar, Baabda, Zahle, Saida, Bent Jbeil, Marjayoun, El Nabatieh, and Tyre, as well as refugee communities.
The assessment also includes, for the first time, people who arrived from Syria after December 2024, reflecting shifting displacement patterns and growing vulnerabilities.
Looking ahead, food insecurity is projected to worsen between April and July 2026, with the number of affected people expected to rise to around 961,000, or 18 percent of the population
Increase .
The increase is linked to expected reductions in food assistance, rising living costs, continued economic strain, slow livelihood recovery, and delays in infrastructure reconstruction.
The analysis highlights ongoing challenges facing the agricultural sector, including damaged irrigation systems, high input costs, and recurring drought, particularly in the Bekaa and southern regions.
An exceptionally dry 2024–2025 season further reduced water availability and weakened farm productivity.
Authorities and international partners say sustained humanitarian support and targeted investment in agriculture are critical to prevent further deterioration, warning that Lebanon’s food security situation remains precarious more than a year after the November 2024 ceasefire.
