The Contribution of Syrian Workers to Lebanon’s Agricultural Sector

Abstract

This research seeks to look into a different public perception of the large community of Syrian agricultural laborers in a northeastern Beqaa village, away from the populist perception. Too often issues of migration, economics, and nationality coalesce to produce an impression of Syrian labor as a burden and a cost to the economy, operating at the expense of the Lebanese. By focusing on the northeast Beqaa region as a prime example of Syrian labor participation, we notice that contrary to popular perceptions, Syrian labor and the regional economy are perceived by different population categories as intrinsically linked by historical and structural factors that long predate the Syrian war and the refugee crisis. Furthermore, an examination of the role of labor in the value chain of the Lebanese agricultural sector in the village of El-Qaa prompts us to re-assess conventional notions of borders, nationality, and the national economy in the Lebanese context.