TIRANA, March 8 /ATA/ Inclusion of female farmers in all agricultural support programs for their development and empowerment is of paramount importance for welfare and economy of the country.
The Agency for Agricultural and Rural Development states that financial support through the national program and foreign donors has played an important role in factoring in the potential of women.
ARDA Director Frida Krifca said that, “the support programs addressed by the government promote the inclusion in representation with at least 30% female members in the beneficiary associations.”
“The IPARD II Program also favors women in scoring, for example: in cases where the applicant is female or a subject who has at least 30% of employees women, based on the selection criteria for measure 7: Farm Diversification and Development of IPARD business, “- said Krifca.
She said that the support of female farmers and entrepreneurs in rural areas has increased on a year to year basis.
“During 2020 we have 320 beneficiaries with 49 million ALL worth of support” – said Krifca, underlining the fact that the support has specifically promoted the contribution of women in production, the autonomy of export management in domestic market and further the regional and European market, etc.
According to her, in agriculture women contribute not only to agricultural production, but also to food security, by expanding employment and creating space for new jobs. And in Albania there are many successful models to follow.
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