AF sites selection report

The report outlines the methodology used to select suitable sites for the implementation of Agroforestry practices in the North and Rashaya corridors of Lebanon. The selection process began with a call for private landowners' applications for the implementation of Agroforestry practices. The call was conducted in two kick-off meetings with the Corridor Planning Committees of Rashaya and North in October and January 2019, respectively. The application form (Annex 1) was transmitted to the villages of both corridors, and landowners were requested to submit their applications within a two-week period. A total of 22 applications were submitted for the Rashaya corridor, out of which 14 were eligible based on the preliminary criteria identified by the Agroforestry Committee of Experts (Table 1). For the North corridor, 11 applications were submitted, all of which were eligible based on the same criteria. The eligible applications were surveyed by the LRI team, who visited the sites and interviewed the landowners to collect baseline assessment information. The committee of experts then gathered to assess the applications and define a list of shortlisting criteria (Table 2). Each eligible candidate site was defined with its limiting criterion/criteria when applicable, with a grading of showcasing level (Low-Medium-High), and with favoring criterion/criteria when applicable. Each committee member voted for five sites in each corridor, and the sites with the highest number of votes were selected (Table 3). The shortlisted sites for the North corridor were NAF_1, NAF_4b, NAF_5, NAF_8, and NAF_11, while the shortlisted sites for the Rashaya corridor were RAF_1, RAF_7, RAF_8, RAF_9, and RAF_11. The experts' assessment of the shortlisted sites was conducted based on a detailed set of criteria, divided into four main categories of expertise: ecological and practical agriculture criteria, social and influential criteria, marketing criteria, and LRI criteria. The criteria were set by the experts in each category, and a scoring system was used to evaluate the sites (Table 5). The assessment visits were conducted by the experts to the shortlisted sites, based on the list of criteria set by each field of expertise. The experts assessed the site conditions and status, conducted an interview with each applicant, and generated a clearer and objective judgment on the potential convenient sites for Agroforestry and the potential collaboration with influential community members. The shortlisted sites were evaluated based on the assessment criteria, and the final scoring matrix was compiled (Table 7). The final AF sites selected for implementation were identified, and the potential AF systems and practices to be applied on the selected sites were outlined (Table 9). The LRI contribution in the selected sites was also detailed (Table 10).