Souad Abdallah is the 40 years old founder of Kon, a social solidarity movement around agriculture.

“I’ve never in my life felt something as beautiful as being down there in the streets when the protests started in October 2019.

Ever since I came back to Lebanon in 2015, I’ve felt uneasy and always wanted to leave again. I wanted to improve the country, I wanted for us to be more at ease living in Lebanon, I wanted to have our basic civil rights met, such as the right for education and healthcare, the minimum standards for a decent life. 

With the protests I felt I owned the city and that I belonged; I was no longer alone because I was surrounded by my fellow citizens. 

With time, though, I got physically tired (I have a little girl to take care of) and, at some point, I was no longer able to tolerate the violence and  the economic deterioration that were taking place. I could not understand why there were not more people protesting against his repressive sulta.

All this made me wonder what I could do. I wanted to do something that is lacking in the country, that fits with my lifestyle and is sustainable. In 2018-2019, my daughter and I lived in my village in Akkar for a year and I planted our land there. I was always interested in agriculture and I saw its benefits on my personal well-being. I was discussing  this with two of  my friends and the idea of a sustainable food and agriculture- related initiative was born.  In the sector, there is a tendency towards fast production with no respect for the rhythms of nature or the environment. I was more convinced by permaculture which takes into account the cycles of nature and the existing resources. 

The idea was to work at the level of neighborhoods. The goal was not only to produce food, but it was also to provide psychological support and social resilience. There is no sense of community in Beirut when compared to rural areas, but it is something that can be developed when people work together around a common activity. 

We started slowly holding a couple of meetings in our neighborhood in Furn al Shebbak when along came “Madame Corona”. The lockdown was a calm and fruitful period where I found myself working alone planting heirloom seeds on my rooftop. Three neighbors later joined me and we planted together. I was very happy that a lot of the seedlings we had planted grew and we were able to distribute them to our neighbors. We  tried not to buy lots of supplies because our finances were tight and we were paying from our own pockets. 

Slowly Kon has grown beyond our community of Furn al Shebbek as people joined our workshops or helped us in one way or another.

The practice of agriculture itself is very soothing both physically and psychologically. Planting, touching the soil, watering, seeing the tiny seed grow into a plant is miraculous. You start appreciating the generosity of nature. The smallest things make you happy such as a water sprinkler because it sprinkles automatically. You also slow down and re-assess the contemporary world we are in. The pace of humankind has changed with the modern world. We forgot about the seasons and eat parsley in winter, for example. Through working with agriculture, you recreate a balance.

Working with the group is also very nice because, don’t forget, you are working in an environment where money does not exist and everything is based on sharing. You share services or knowledge. This is also very rewarding. We grew closer and our relationships became deeper and more personal. When we ask “keefak?”, we really mean “keefak?”, we are really asking how the person is doing. This is how resilience is born. It gives psychological support to face the stressful situation we are in nowadays.”


Souad Abdallah is the 40 years old founder of Kon, a social solidarity movement around agriculture. Through Kon as well, and in partnership with NGO Syrian Eyes, Souad produces soaps from local ingredients and distributes them to refugees. Souad hopes that the neighborhood growing model of Kon will be replicated in neighborhoods across Greater Beirut.

Text and picture by Dima Rahhal