Established in 2007 as a family project, Biomass is now a leading grower, aggregator processor, distributor, and exporter of certified organic food products, located in Lebanon.
Certified according to the European Regulation for Organic Farming by the Italian Certification Body ‘CCPB’, Biomass works in fresh agriculture produce table eggs production, collection, picking and foraging of wild herbs and spices, sorting, grading, packaging, and food processing.
Production of Fruit and Vegetable Seedlings
Biomass’s proposed project under the Food System Challenge is the in-house production of fruit and vegetable seedlings.
The project explores new production techniques, and new varieties, and aims at applying the industry’s best practices to grow quality seedlings, to ensure the sustainability of their own production and that of their farming partners. These practices include grafting and a set of new technologies for that end.
It aims to increase farming capacity in Lebanon since one of the main challenges facing the industry today is the ability of farmers to sustain their activities, due to increasing raw material costs. It also aims at laying the foundation for agriculture seed breeding in Lebanon, and potentially reducing agri-food waste by promoting quality seedlings across production units and farming stations.
Biomass, through this project, also aims at protecting and promoting heirloom varieties and indigenous crops in Lebanon, to conserve Lebanon’s agricultural heritage and biodiversity.
The project will increase seedling production of Biomass from 1.5M to 7.5M, increase the affordability and availability of raw material to farmers, promote local production of seedlings whilst reducing waste, and protect and revive heirloom seedlings. It will directly impact Biomass as both a producer/grower and consumer/processor of seedlings while also impacting between 20 and 45 fruits and vegetables farmers dealing with Biomass who will benefit from new seedlings.
The Food System Challenge
The Food System Challenge is implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP) and Berytech through support from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The program’s main outcomes are enhanced food security, a well-functioning local food system, enhanced efficiency and resilience of cooperatives and SMEs working across different streams of the food systems, and increased employment opportunities, especially for women and vulnerable individuals.
