and roads were built without any consideration of the impact it would have on the society and environment, which led to severe land degradation. Additionally, this area has suffered from a severe lack of rainfall. Northern Bekaa has had an annual average of 450 mm of rain in the past few years, and some areas in Hermel have had less than . Although there have been ecotourism projects in Hermel which help raise awareness of the environment for the residents, most of the land has become unusable and projects to repair the land would leave a large bill for landowners. Agriculture Desertification reduces natural food production, which makes the country turn to foreign imports of food. This foreign aid can lead to a lack of agriculture in the country, which makes it more costly to produce locally. Lebanon's agriculture is considered essential to the economy. Agriculture in Lebanon is a source of food as well as exports including fruits, vegetables, eggs, cereals, sugar, and livestock products. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, there was $280 million worth of financial consequences to the agricultural sector. This included crop production, fisheries, forestry, and livestock. Major problems facing agricultural production cause the rural people in Lebanon to live in poverty. These problems include the small size of agricultural holdings, lack of agriculture policies, high production costs, and lack of specialized agricultural credit. The agriculture sector in Lebanon accounts for 5% of the country’s GDP and employs about 8% of the labor force. About 70% of Lebanon’s food needs are satisfied by imports. Lebanon’s agriculture sector is underdeveloped and poorly managed, and only 55% of the productive areas are used, often inefficiently and wastefully. The agriculture sector also suffers from a lack of funding and receives less than 1% of the country’s budget. The total food imports for 2009 were estimated at US$2.216 billion, or 13% of the country’s total imports. The top 10 food imports into Lebanon are as follows: Economic impact Poverty With the growth of desertification in Lebanon comes the growth of poverty. Desertification is a large threat to economic activity in Lebanon, and about 35 percent of families in Lebanon live below the poverty line. Because of this, many families have moved from the country to the city. Most of these people are small farmers, wage laborers, fishers, livestock herders, and women who are heads