Between war and the harvest: South Lebanon’s tobacco farmers hold on

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

In southern Lebanon, the war has disrupted the tobacco-growing season, leaving farmers struggling to protect their crops and preserve their livelihoods.

Among them is Hamza, a tobacco farmer who looks at one of his plants with affection. The crop has helped him make a living and raise his children. 

In 2023, he rescued the plant from the threat of death in occupied Rmeich and moved it to safety in Ras al-Ain. But when war returned in 2026, his tobacco plants once again came under threat.

For other farmers, saving even a single plant was impossible. Fields that were supposed to be covered with tobacco seedlings have instead been overtaken by grass, disrupting the agricultural cycle. The war broke out in late February, just as farmers were preparing to plant tobacco seedlings in March.

Some farmers, however, chose to take the risk and continue working their land despite drones and artillery fire. Tobacco, long regarded as a crop of resilience, has become a symbol of their determination to remain on their land.

In the besieged villages of Rmeich, a major center of tobacco cultivation, and Debl, access to farmers was limited. Phone calls became the only way to hear from them and learn about the condition of their land and the current season.

The war has caused significant losses for farmers. While the Regie is set to purchase their crops, farmers say the state must also find ways to support all those affected.

For these farmers, protecting their crops means more than preserving a livelihood — it means holding on to the land they have worked for generations.