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Productive Sector Development Programme (PSDP)
Full information on the Productive Sector Development Programme (PSDP) can be found on lebanon.un.org
Lebanon’s multi-faceted crisis, including the economic meltdown, the impact of the Syrian crisis, and the detrimental effects of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut port explosion, in addition to the fuel crisis, have taken a severe toll on the agri-food and agricultural sector, making access to finance strenuous, the import of raw material costly and disrupting trade operations and the industry value chain, among others. These mounting challenges make supporting job creation and economic opportunities, especially for the most vulnerable in the most disadvantaged areas, a top priority to support Lebanon’s recovery.
Against this backdrop, and with the generous support of the Government of Canada, six UN entities - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Labor Organization (ILO), United Nations Women (UNWomen) and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) - have joined forces and developed a three-year Productive Sector Development Programme (PSDP) to support gender-responsive job creation and help create economic opportunities in the agricultural and agri-food sectors in Lebanon, with a specific focus on women and female youth in disadvantaged areas.
PSDP activities
The PSDP consists of activities that are implemented at three levels, namely at National policy (Macro level); Access to Markets (Meso Level); and Direct beneficiary support (Micro level). These entail the following three-fold outcomes, namely:
Level 1 - Macro Level
The Productive Sector Development Programme (PSDP) focuses on targeting the macroeconomic policy environment for women working in the agriculture and agri-food manufacturing sectors, in order to help create an enabling, equitable, and protective environment that would help them be actively part of the labour force.
This is done by:
- Developing gender-responsive policy and legislative reforms to address key barriers to women’s economic participation, including unpaid care work;
- Facilitating policy dialogue among national stakeholders, government bodies, and the private sector to advocate for gender-responsive policy and legislative reforms.
UN Women leads on the Macro level component.
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Level 2 - Meso Level
The Productive Sector Development Programme (PSDP) focuses on enhancing the access of local products to existing and new external markets as a means to help overcome the current financial challenges facing MSMEs and cooperatives in the agriculture and agri-food sectors in Lebanon.
In collaboration with the Government of Lebanon and relevant stakeholders, UNIDO and UNDP are working on providing institutional support and capacity building to national government entities involved in trade and are providing them with the needed tools to support MSMEs in their export journey.
The two UN agencies also developed an online Export Academy that focuses on MSMEs export readiness and support them in accessing directly international markets.
This Meso-level component of the PSDP includes working directly with Lebanese exporters to help them meet quality standards, integrate product innovation and marketing, and get the product ready for new overseas markets.
In this realm, UNIDO and UNDP are supporting the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL) in developing the export promotion platform that aims to promote Lebanese capabilities to reach international buyers, with focus on women entrepreneurs. The platform also supports Lebanese exporters in understanding export opportunities and trends in key markets through detailed export guides.
Visit the platform here: www.lebanonexports.gov.lb
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Level 3 - Micro Level
The Productive Sector Development Programme (PSDP) focuses on promoting an integrated and focused approach to supporting farmers, cooperatives and MSMEs. The PSDP contributes to the development of the agricultural and agri-food sector using Modern agricultural and industrial technics that help improve quality products, strengthen the human capital, and increase production.
To ensure a coherent approach to service delivery, the PSDP will provide services to and rehabilitate two Agri-Food Service Centers so as to enable them to provide direct services to women and men farmers, women-led cooperatives, and women and men-led MSMEs, noting that at least 50%-75% of beneficiaries are women.
Services are provided by all UN implementing agencies and include (1) technology transfer and skills training, (2) environmental sustainability training and in-kind support, (3) Women Economic Empowerment Principles training, (4) business development training and apprenticeships amongst other services.
The overall aim of the Centers is to improve the capacity of women farmers, women-led cooperatives, and women-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), as well as male-led entities in productive sectors, to create and sustain gender-equitable job opportunities and adopt environmentally sustainable practices. Beneficiaries supported by the Agriculture and Agro-Food Services Center at the micro-level will also be directly referred to the Export Promotion Center.
As a result of the above, specific technical services and export promotion centers, farmers, cooperatives & MSMEs -in particular women and youth in the targeted value chain- will be provided with the necessary trainings and technology sets that help upgrade their skills and promote innovative solutions. Beneficiaries will also be provided with business support services and coaching, as well as job referrals and apprenticeships.
This Micro component is led by FAO and UNIDO and is implemented by FAO, UNIDO, UN Women, ILO, UNDP, and UNICEF.
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