TIRANA, Aug 2 /ATA/ – By E.Xhajanka/- “The perspective of the young generation to build a better future in the village is a great challenge for Albanian society.”
Anke Petersen, manager of “Sustainable Rural Development” project funded by German Government and implemented in our country by GIZ in partnership with Albanian institutions, in an exclusive interview with the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, says that development of rural areas and especially the sector of agriculture are among the top priorities of Albanian economy.
ATA: How does the “Sustainable Rural Development” Project support this sector, in order to make it more competitive?
Albania on its path to EU accession is facing a lot of challenges related to structural change in agriculture and rural development – but there are also a lot of opportunities! Our approach is to promote the potential for diversification for income and employment perspectives in rural areas of Albania. We aim to achieve this through upgrading of on-farm production, off-farm activities and promotion of selected agricultural products with focus on value chains of fruits, vegetables, small ruminants (dairy production) and medicinal and aromatic herbs and value-chains of tourism, since both sectors agriculture and tourism account for biggest share of employment in Albania. We believe that stronger economic diversification in rural areas and increased competitiveness of agriculture will contribute to more income generation. This improves the perspectives of rural population overall, in particular for young people and including returnees in rural areas and in Albania. The key to this is improving the conditions for sustainable income-generating opportunities in rural areas.
ATA: In the current conditions of COVID-19 pandemic, what support do you envisage for the agricultural and tourism sector?
Tourism in particular is among the hardest hit sectors. The Advisory Facility for the COVID-19 Crisis Mitigation which will be implemented starting in autumn 2020, is a joint initiative of the bilateral programmes “Sustainable Economic and Regional Development, Employment Promotion and Vocational Education and Training” (ProSEED) & “Sustainable Rural Development Programme” (SRD), both funded by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ).
The overarching goal is to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that are severely hit by the consequences of COVID-19 crisis in Albania, first and foremost, to maintain employment but even increase it. In pursuing this initiative, ProSEED and SRD make a significant contribution to an early and effective crisis management of a bigger number of MSMEs, mainly in the two most employment relevant sectors, agriculture and tourism, but the facility is also open to other sectors. In addition, MSMEs will be strengthened in applying new digital solutions and innovations not only to cushion the current crisis but also to put their operations on more solid ground in order to shape the new normal beyond the immediate effects of COVID-19.
The project is designed in a way to mitigate the consequences of the crises by stimulating the businesses to adjust their operation to the new situation as well as giving financial support to cover the needs for those who are not eligible to other donor financial assistance schemes or do not have the capacities to apply. Both objectives will be addressed by counselling and provision of grants.
In parallel with this, SRD project is launching two promotional campaigns for the two sectors, agriculture and tourism, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment. The #unerrineShqiperi (#IstayinAlbania) campaign officially started on June 6 on social networks, with the aim of promoting Albania as a holiday destination for this summer 2020, while the ‘Shqiperiapunon token’(‘Albania works the land’) campaign will start inJuly, with the aim of promoting local products and Albanian farmers.
ATA: What kind of support does the project provide for small farmers?
As mentioned, the project will promote the modernization in 4 commercial value chains in agriculture such as medical and aromatic plants (MAPs), fruits & nuts, vegetables, sheep & goats. With this we aim to increase the competitiveness of farmers and processors for export, import substitution and local markets. Based on best practices in the predecessor projects, the project assists smallholder farmers and small and micro enterprises in the pilot regions in harnessing the value of the mutual dependence of agriculture, tourism and (agro-) biodiversity to generate income.The means on how we aim to achieve this, our support to small farmers, MSME and other important actors in the agriculture sector ranges from improving market access through marketing strategies, participation in international fairs etc, to technological and digital solutions such as pest management, market information and other pre-harvest and post-harvest technologies.
ATA: Does your project provide special support for young farmers?
Since many young people migrate from structurally weak rural regions temporarily or permanently to the cities or to other countries, rural areas in Albania face the challenge of aging and depopulation. This poses a real challenge especially but not only to the agriculture sector. For this reason, the project aims to provide income opportunities for local communities and returning migrants in rural areas.
Hence, we’re working together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to find solutions for young people to have access to agricultural land. As a result, more young people will be engaged in agriculture sector as entrepreneurs.
Moreover, there is the necessity to create a pool of experts available to promote innovation in agriculture. Therefore, the project will cooperate with agriculture universities to introduce a PhD program to deepen the knowledge of excellent students on topics that are relevant for the sector. Further support will be provided by the project for matchmaking of young people and the agricultural industry according to their qualifications and needs, providing concrete employment and training offers in an initiative we call “from boots to suits”.
Through a public television channel dedicated to agriculture, the project has promoted over the past months successful stories of young entrepreneurs in agriculture to inspire others to have their own success story. Beyond the traditional crop production, we know of young entrepreneurs who have been working on agritourism farms, and not so popular products for the market of Albania but using the climatic advantages that the country offers, such as Aloe-Vera production.A young farmers network will address particularly the needs of the younger generation of farmers and help further modernize the agriculture sector.
ATA: Does your project have a regional focus or is it extended countrywide? If it has a regional focus, in which areas do you work and who are the main beneficiaries?
SRD has both a regional focus and is extended countrywide. When it comes to interventions in agriculture, we work countrywide depending on where the products are produced and processed. When it comes to rural development in terms of tourism, we work specifically on three regions, which are the Albanian Alps (Shkodra Region), Dibra Region and Southern Coastal Region (Vlora Region). Our target group is the rural population of Albania with a focus on micro, small and medium enterprises in agriculture and rural tourism. In particular, the project aims to reach women and young people under the age of 40.
ATA: How does the project support the sustainable development of rural tourism in Albania?
In cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, the project supports the establishment of Destination Management Organisation models in Dibra, the Albanian Alps and Vlora Region for defining the structure, management and marketing of destinations in Albania. Currently,we’re excited to start with our first pilot Destination Management Organisation (DMO) in the Dibra Region and working with the existing tourism structures there. Destination management refers to a holistic approach, where many aspects of a destination are managed via a coordinated process. It can include managing marketing, local accommodation, tours, events, activities, attractions and transportation, and is often the responsibility of a dedicated destination management organisation.
Furthermore, the project supports the development and the diversification of tourism products. This will promote Albania to a larger tourism market abroad and will provide more employment and income opportunities in the sector. Our focus is on existing and new tourism products. To name a few of these products are the following: Hiking trails, Biking Trails, new climbing routes in the three regions, agritourism, assessment of opportunities for sustainable winter tourism in Northern Alps and Dibra Region, Wine & Culinary Trail, eco-camping promotion and more.
We are also supporting Albania’s marketing activitiesin line with the National Tourism Agency regarding the promotion of the three regions and existing as well as new rural tourism products at international tourism fairs.
ATA: Is there a calendar of such activities supported by the project?
Yes, it’s true, the project has supported and will further support events that promote villages, products and the extension of the touristic season. These are initiatives from the local institutions and it also happens that many of these festivals fall into our target regions. Some of these you may have already heard of, such as the Olive Fest, Apple Fest, Mandarina Fest, Chestnut Fest and of course the GIZ initiative for the promotion of the southern coastal region, the South Outdoor Festival. Furthermore, there’s work in the process to implement another festival in the north of Albania, which we will announce soon, and we hope we will have the chance to implement these soon, depending on the situation with COVID-19. These local and national events can showcase what Albania has to offer, and we are proud to be part of it.
ATA: What other topic not mentioned above is a priority for the ‘Sustainable Rural Development’ Project?
As more and more people over the past years have left the rural areas or even migrated to other countries to find better living conditions, our aim with all our activities is to create perspectives here in Albania and especially in the rural areas of the country. We have seen a lot of examples and success stories in agriculture, tourism and agritourism where you can see that a lot is possible in Albania, that you can make it here.
Albania is heading towards EU accession despite the many challenges that still exist. SRD supports the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development aligning the Albanian legal and institutional framework with the EU-acquis. This includes supporting the new strategy for agriculture, rural development and fishery 2021-2027 in line with EU Common Agriculture Policy priorities, requirements and budgetary frame. It includes supporting the new IPARD III program in line with the criteria and requests of EU commission to enable the absorption of EU financial support. This all will contribute to increasing the competitiveness of the agriculture sector and rural economy in general. Furthermore, SRD is strengthening the capacities of ARDA, Managing Authority, Extension services and Agricultural Technology Transfer Centres (ATTCs) which provide an important role in introduction in managing the absorption of IPARD funds and in promoting innovative solutions, technologies in agriculture and rural areas in general./ /sm/
