J. Robin Moon (JRM):  TELL ME ABOUT YOU – YOUR PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND, YOUR PERSONAL STORY, YOUR CONNECTION TO THE FOOD SYSTEMS AT LARGE.

Jean-Charles Khairallah (JCK): I am 60 years old, happily married, a father of three, and a grandfather of two boys. I was born in Lebanon, and I moved to France, my mother’s country, after obtaining a master’s degree in business. After spending 23 years in the retail sector in France, China, and the Gulf countries and five years in the food industry, I decided to put my skills to the service of my country of origin: Lebanon. I witnessed the food systems in different aspects, from retail distribution to farming, being in between handling a purchasing position in the food industry and owning a delicatessen store. As a social entrepreneur and farmer, I launched an agricultural project called Terres Gourmandes in 2020. The project is based in my family’s home village of Jrane, on the heights of Batroun, where 3,000 square meters are planted with tomatoes, cabbages, carrots, aromatic herbs, fruit trees, and olive trees, cultivated in permaculture. A rabbit farm also thrives there. I am an active vendor and member of the Organizing Committee for the Badaro Farmers Market.

JRM: HOW DID YOU GET INTO WORKING IN/FOR FARMERS MARKETS? 

JCK: I was always attached to my home village, which is remote and located in the Lebanese mountains. My family had several landlords for our land, and the main crops we produced were wheat, fava beans, chickpeas, and tobacco. The lands were covered with olive trees and in the backyard of our garden was an olive oil mill. October to December was a busy season.

COVID and the newly established “remote work” allowed me to leave Beirut city and establish myself in the village, where I held my position as purchase manager. When things returned to normal (after the pandemic), I decided that my journey in a C-suite position had ended. Then, I jumped into farming, and after nine months, market organizers called me to join their initiative in November 2022.

JRM: TELL ME ABOUT THE FARMERS MARKET THAT YOU CURRENTLY RUN.

JCK: The farmers market was started in November 2016. It offers an eco-friendly and community-building activity. Thanks to a strong community spirit, we hope that it will result in a greener neighborhood. Every Sunday from 9 am to 1:30 pm, the market is organized by The Badaro Urban Farmers (“BUF”) at the College Saint-Sauveur on Museum Street in Badaro. It is managed by six volunteers, three of whom are producers. Each Sunday, some clients join hands to perform several tasks (welcome stand, setting up and closing the market, and children’s activities). The last market day, attended by over 200 visitors, sold a variety of products, including fresh vegetables, honey, za’atar mixes, mouneh (local preserves), sugar-free jams, fresh herbs and wildflowers, bread, beer and arak (anise-based Lebanese alcoholic beverage), essential oils, organic wines, soaps, and exotic food. The Live Love Recycle initiative collects reusable items to be recycled. Our market is home to more than 45 producers. 25 of them attended the market last Sunday, including four offering ready-to-eat/takeaway food: Falafel, Armenian dishes, Lebanese dishes including Manouché (Lebanese traditional breakfast here, made with a thin dough with thyme and olive as topping).

JRM: OF THE FM DEFINITION (A RECURRING AND INTENTIONALLY COORDINATED ASSEMBLY OF LOCAL FARMERS OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES, SELLING DIRECTLY TO THE PUBLIC LOCAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS THEY HAVE GROWN, HARVESTED, AND/OR PROCESSED), WHICH PART IS THE MOST CHALLENGING TO KEEP INTEGRITY AND CONSISTENCY?

JCK: We are fortunate to have a core group of producers who have been committed to making this initiative a success for almost seven years. The committee closely monitors the origin of the proposed products. It is unthinkable for us to see a vendor offering merchandise acquired elsewhere than in his field or workshop. We sometimes have to be the enforcers, but by being strict about every deviation, we ensure that our message remains true: “By providing the opportunity for producers to connect directly with consumers, and via the workshops offered, the market also serves as an education center. Producers and animators are teaching customers and their children about agriculture, beekeeping, recycling, and composting. The market makes the community stronger and healthier.”

JRM: WHAT IS YOUR VISION OF YOUR FARMERS MARKETS AS PART OF YOUR LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM AND (SHORT) FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN? 

JCK: Lebanon is a small country (200 km by 50 km). But that size hides major difficulties in logistics, public transportation, and roads, which are in dramatic conditions. The vendor often has two hours of driving (each way) when attending a market. The cost of transportation represents around 20% of their daily budget. They make an immense sacrifice, and we value it. The population density of the Lebanese coast and especially of “Greater Beirut” means that the fields are far from the vast majority of the urban population. More than 2 million people cram into an area of less than 200 square-km.

The wholesale markets, which are more pirates than traders, leave only a few crumbs for the growers, and the retailers do the rest to put their money where their mouths are. In the end, the products of supermarkets, large and small, are offered for sale at prohibitive prices, due to the succession of those involved before the final sale.

Our market is a real alternative for manufacturers who, despite excessive approach costs, find themselves offering a product directly to a consumer who remains in control of the purchasing decision. This meeting regulates the market and the prices charged, a transparency that can’t be equaled. Our initiative is not yet well developed in Lebanon. Three other serious entities offer this approach, even if their internal management bears no resemblance to ours. We’ll need a lot of time and markets in other districts/regions before we can have any impact on food distribution in Lebanon.

 JRM: WHAT KIND OF RESOURCES DO YOU AND YOUR FM NEED MOST, FROM ORGANIZATIONS LIKE WORLDFMC AND IN GENERAL? 

JCK: In our country, we are subject to the hazards of safety and economic collapse (90+% currency devaluation) compounded by a total absence of state and government services. Therefore, we can only turn to local volunteers and funds from international organizations. Today’s market is held together by strict accounting and penny-wise and pound-foolish management of our meager income. The members of the committee are not paid, yet during the market and the week, they carry out all the operations and meetings necessary to ensure that the farmers market, which is a driving force in its community, is held 50 Sundays a year. Expanding with new markets in other locations will only be possible if funds are made available for the acquisition of basic market equipment (tables, chairs, fridges, tablecloths, signage, etc.).

JRM: TELL ME ABOUT THE MAMI FM TRAINING INITIATIVE THAT YOU ARE PART OF. AND TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT IT, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES. 

JCK: The MAMi project enabled me to bring to the forefront producers who had no vision of managing a market. The initial week-long intensive training in-person and weekly follow-up and virtual training provided by the team led by Robin keep us on track. The search for locations, the collection of donations, and the extension of the network of possible partners for our future projects have enabled us to discover the interests of academics, local governments, and high-level officials who support our ideas. Moving on to a decision or action is another challenge.

As a reminder, the four members of the Lebanese team all have full-time jobs that provide them with an income. We’re a close-knit group, and debates are often lively. The last one was on drafting the budget for the first two years of the next market. To ensure the continuity of our initiative, we’ve decided to launch a Lebanese farmers market association, with the addition of two people who are active in social associations and who will reinforce this dimension, which can only be beneficial in attracting people with more modest incomes to our markets, which are often seen as elitist.

 ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEE:

Jean-Charles Khairallah: A career global entrepreneur in food industry, in his second career in cultivating a family farm and operating a farmers markets back home in Lebanon. The Lebanon representative for the Mediterranean and African Market Initiative (MAMi) Farmers Market Training.