The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) was established in 1952 on AUB’s main campus in Beirut and was modeled on the US land-grant college system. It owns and operates a 100-hectare research and outreach center located 80 kilometers east of Beirut in the Beqaa Valley which was known as the Agricultural Research and Education Center, and was later renamed as the Advancing Research Enabling Communities Center (AREC). FAFS has transformed its position from the land-grant model to a leading faculty that aspires to foster the sustainable enhancement of the health and well-being of people and nature throughout Lebanon and the region.
FAFS is committed to promoting and disseminating knowledge through higher education, research, and outreach in agriculture, agribusiness, nutrition and dietetics, public health nutrition, food science, food safety, food security, and rural community development. Additionally, FAFS promotes executive education through two diplomas: the Graduate Professional in Global Supply Chain Management and Graduate Online Diploma in Food Security. These fields serve as a basis for improving the livelihoods and well-being of people in Lebanon, the Middle East, and the world. FAFS trains highly educated and motivated individuals whose professional performance consistently illustrates AUB's commitment to outreach to underserved communities. FAFS' diverse strengths across multiple disciplines have positioned it as a regional center of excellence that integrates education, research, and outreach activities and develops leaders to address the global challenges of the 21st century.
Today, FAFS is home to Departments of Agriculture, Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management, and Nutrition and Food Sciences as well as three multidisciplinary centers: the Advancing Research Enabling Communities Center (
AREC),
AgHive - the unit for the Remote Sensing and Geospatial Lab and the Smart Irrigation Lab, the Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (
ESDU); and the Laboratories for the Environment, Agriculture and Food (
LEAF). FAFS' academic programs and curricula set the standard for colleges in Lebanon and many countries in the MENA region.