A/HRC/2/8 page 10 B. After the war Food, agriculture and livelihoods 19. Most of the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese displaced by the war started to return to their villages and towns as soon as the cessation of hostilities was declared. Many of these towns and villages had been partially or totally destroyed. Food supplies were generally available immediately after the end of the war, despite the aerial and sea embargo. Many families returning to their villages took with them food aid that had been distributed to them in centres set up for displaced people. The blockade has, however, affected the variety of food commodities that could be found and thus the quality of people’s diet. Food prices have also increased by between 10 and 15 per cent. For example, wheat flour, the main ingredient of the Lebanese staple food, bread, rose in price by 15 per cent as a result of the sea and land blockade that prevented imports during the war and in the weeks after. The impact of the loss of much of this year’s wheat harvest and the harvests of vegetables and fruits will also have an impact.17 Thousands of already poor families are still relying on food aid and assistance. Oxfam reported, for example, that in Zebqine, a small village of 300 families in South Lebanon, most of the population has returned to their homes and lands, but with the destruction of local shops and the devastation of agricultural fields, the food supply is precarious and it is still almost wholly dependent on food aid. 20. The longer-term impact of the war on livelihoods is now the key concern. The right to food is not primarily about food aid, but about the right to be able to feed oneself through an adequate livelihood. The Special Rapporteur found that the livelihoods of a large part of the population have been disrupted by the war, and the process of reconstructing livelihoods has been slow. The many testimonies the Special Rapporteur gathered during his visit, provided evidence that loss of livelihoods and sources of income is the main threat for the future wellbeing of many thousands of families, particularly in rural areas. Many people with whom the Special Rapporteur spoke informed him that they were very concerned about their livelihood prospects. The war took place at the peak of the fishing and fruit harvest season, affecting the people who earn their livelihoods from these sectors both directly in terms of damage but, more importantly, indirectly in terms of lost markets and revenues.18 Much farmland has been affected by bombing and will continue to be affected by unexploded bombs that continue to make access to many fields impossible. The destruction by the Israeli forces of infrastructure essential to the survival of the population, particularly agricultural and water infrastructure will also have long-term impacts on livelihoods and access to food and water. 21. According to Oxfam, up to 85 per cent of Lebanon’s farmers lost some or all of their harvest.19 Most of these farmers have small farms of 1 ha or less and are generally poor. In the south of Lebanon, the majority of villages are dependent on agriculture as the sole source of income and livelihood for families. Across Lebanon, FAO estimates that agriculture provides direct employment for 9 per cent of the Lebanese population, but another 40 per cent of the population are involved in work that is indirectly related to agriculture.20 The main agricultural regions are in the south, in the Nabatiyeh and Beqaa regions, all of which have suffered as a result of the war, particularly Baalbeck, Herml and West Baqaa in the Beqaa region, as well as in Akkar in the north and the coastal area of Damour.21 The war resulted in the devastation of thousands of hectares of orchards, tobacco fields and olive groves by fire, the destruction of potato and banana plantations and the burning of hundreds of hectares of greenhouses. Tens of