“Who are the protagonists”? The linkages between development discourses, civil society, and agroecology in Lebanon

Many parts of the world are witnessing social mobilizations in response to the unjust and unsustainable trajectories of the global agrifood system. The constellations of mobilizations tend to coalesce around “agroecology” discourses. This term has become increasingly muddled as it is adopted by diverse actors, often having different meanings for different people. However, “movement-based” agroecological discourses usually highlight local smallholder farmers and peasants as the main protagonists. This article examines their recent entry into the lexicon of actors in Lebanon—particularly nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), “neo-rural” farmers, and foreign donors. Through an ethnographic discourse analysis and social mapping of actors, we identify the most visible protagonists furthering this term in Lebanon and the discursive framings they employ, while questioning the term’s connection (or lack thereof) to the broader farmer typology in the country. The findings identify local and global development actors, along with a small group of neo-rural farmers from specific social backgrounds, as the primary actors in the main discursive arenas around agroecology. This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the disconnect between agroecology and the realities of marginalized smallholder farmers. We critically examine how NGOs, neo-rural farmers, and foreign donors shape these discourses, revealing that the meaning-making around agroecology in Lebanon is more closely tied to existing global discursive frameworks than to the lived experiences of local rural communities.