Projects

-Since 2001, AGROPUKA has been implementing the “Promoting Agriculture in the District of Puka” project that is funded by SDC. This project started with the orientation phase and was followed by two implementation phases (2002-2005 and 2005-2008) and a consolidation phase 2008-2009.

The project aimed at addressing the needs of Puka farm households. The project has provided a great support to development of the area through collection and processing centers, fruit tree growing and rehabilitation of unproductive lands, rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure, goat rearing, mechanization, etc. AGROPUKA has also provided technical advice and training to farmers, specialists, and other interested groups.

The “Promoting Agriculture in the District of Puka” project has had an important impact on agriculture and livestock producers of Puka district. There is much more cooperation between AGROPUKA and the farmers, more supply of agriculture products such as honey, seed potatoes, fruits, wild berries, mushrooms, blended tea, etc. There are sure marketing channels operational for dried fruits, dried mushrooms, wild berries and herbs for teas and honey.

- Since 2011, AgroPuka has been supported by We Effect, focusing on the project “To Contribute to the Sustainable Improvement of the Livelihood of People in Puka Rural Areas.” The project identifies and promotes functional cooperation models in areas of production and marketing, gender equality, participation and democracy at the local level. The project is divided into three phases, highlighted below.

Phase I: 2011-2013

During the first phase of the project, three cooperation groups of women were established and supported by AgroPuka. The cooperation groups focused on production, processing and selling of products. Most importantly, the cooperation groups allowed for the socialization and participation of women in local economic development and decision making.

The number of farmers participating in the market increased by 6%. New products were introduced, including juices, dried fruits, herbs, local wine, and goat cheese. The project had a positive impact by increasing the income of rural families as well as changing their behavior and management of local resources. In 2012, AgroPuka increased its sales by 4% by updating its strategy and strengthening its market position.

Additionally, the project focused on capacity development of local decision makers regarding advocating for change. This led to a study, Rural Development of Puka, which includes main findings and recommendations for sustainable rural development. For more information on the study, navigate to the “About Us” section.

Phase II: 2014-2016

The objective during this phase was to better address the needs and rights of AgroPuka members and the rural community of Puka through increasing their business capacity, improving their advocacy and lobbying capacity and activity, and increasing gender equality within AgroPuka and in rural communities of the Puka district.

The project aims to support association members and rural communities on the development of business plans, training them in business start up; training in production, quality standards, and marketing; and training in self-financing. The project supported promotional activities including market days, demonstration activities and fairs, in addition to exchange of experience in the region. At least 50% of the beneficiaries were women.

The project supports meetings with local government units regarding provision of better public services for farmers, women participation in local decision making, establishment of the “Gender Specialist” at municipalities, and establishing women participation models at the village level and replicating the model to other communities. Information and awareness activities with farmers regarding public services and environmental protection were also conducted.

AgroPuka also aims to increase gender equality both within the organization and the rural communities of the Puka district. A total of 450 AgroPuka members from the rural communities were trained informally on gender equality and gender in development, gender sensitive organizational and project planning, and gender sensitive budgeting by 10 active women from Puka. Women were economically empowered through supporting them to develop business plans, providing information about financing institutions, and vocational training.

phase III: 2018-2020

The objective during this phase of the project is to ensure members of rural communities from mountainous areas of Northern Albania have increased their income from farming and other activities, leading to improvement in living conditions, advocating for change, and gender equality.

One of the goals is for civil society organizations focusing on rural development in North-Eastern Albania to increase their capacity to support their membership as well as other community members regarding economic activity, advocacy, and gender.

The project focuses on increasing the business development capacity of members of rural communities from mountainous areas of Northern Albania.

Additionally, the project includes activities to increase the capacity of members of rural communities from mountainous areas of Northern Albania to advocate for social change. Lastly, a goal of the project is to ensure that the mentality of gender equality in North-Eastern Albania has improved.gropuka has been awarded projects and small grants from USAID, US Embassy, SIDA, EU, AWEN, etc.

Phase II: 2020-2023

Phase 2023-2026

AGROPUKA is one of the founding members of Albanian Rural Network for Development ANRD and  has implemented a project (Partner organization) financed by European Commission in Tirana with focus to strengthen the network and its members SCOs.

AGROPUKA has implemented a project finance by EU in partnership with RTM Albania, ADAD Malore and PfD (Rural You) with focus to supporting rural youth in the rural development of North Albania.

AGROPUKA is implementing the project “Initiative for the Support and Promotion of Traditional Agricultural Products for the Sustainable Development of Albanian Rural Areas” (Ruralbania) financed by Italian Development Cooperation Agency with duration: 3 years (36 months, September 2022 - August 2025) and the place of intervention is Albania - Shkodër District (Pukë and Fushë Arrëz Municipalities), Kukës and Dibër Districts

RURALBANIA aims to support and promote traditional agricultural products for the sustainable development of Albanian rural areas. The project aims to increase the productivity of family farms that operate in value chains with high potential in the underprivileged mountainous areas of Northern Albania. Productivity increase is achieved by guaranteeing access opportunities for small agricultural producers in 3 elements, the foundations of the intervention strategy are: a) Effective agricultural and rural assistance services, b) Qualified professional training in agricultural production, c) Concrete and sustainable assets for production and sale in the medium and long term, the action combines an increase in productivity with an increase in disposable income. The new resources will lead small producers to further investment in their farms and, hopefully, to an increase in their size. An increase in income will correspond, at the socio-economic level, to a reduction of farmers living below the poverty line.

Agropuka is implementing a project financed by Dorcas NL and Kom over en help. The project focuses on creating and strengthening sustainable local structures, skills and other local assets related to social empowerment and protection, and inclusive entrepreneurship. Social empowerment and protection focuses on strengthening community safety net, community based leadership, advocacy for and access to social services and local resource mobilisation. Inclusive entrepreneurship is strengthened by access to favourable loans, facilitating local/regional short value chains, capacity building of value chain participants and facilitation of access to resources and opportunities for growth and development. Building solidarity across the participating communities remains important and will be shaped through leadership development and mobilising and sharing of resources through locally embedded structures.

The focus of the projects is to support the poor and low income farmers, especially women farmers to have a better access to the market, develop business plans and get higher incomes from their production; it also seeks to increase the effectiveness of the promotion of products and services in processing and marketing by increasing the capacity of farmers to be competitive in the market.

Projects are focusing on building a strong advocacy component to enable local staff of Agropuka and stakeholders to advocate and lobby in order to influence local and national decision makers to support local issues such as agriculture, gender equality and youth support and motivation.

Projects are focusing on providing base and support for women farmers to improve their livelihood through providing them with models and training as well as access to the best practices in country. Important focus of the projects is to identify and train rural women with leadership potential in order to enable them to participate in local decision making, community development around community priorities.

Projects will be outreaching rural youth to educate and motivate them to stay in the region and develop their entrepreneurship in the field of agriculture and livestock. Projects will be outreaching returned emigrants that decided to invest their live savings in Puka rural areas and share with them ideas and directions to encourage them to stay and invest.

Projects are promoting community awareness around environmental protection and will take some measures toward environmental protection such as: demonstrations on how to protect lands from erosion, production and protection of local varieties (through developing a local nursery); educating school students to protect environment etc.

The main intervention methods focus in: Developing an organizational development process for AP; Production and marketing activities; advocacy campaigns; design and delivery of training programs and advising; organizing contest for school students in rural areas; exchange visits; meetings and round table etc.

Protecting the Biodiversity of Puka Mountains

In the framework of the grant agreement with the Delegation of the European Union to Albania, Albanian Local Development Capacity Foundation (ALCDF), and the EcoNord project, AgroPuka initiated the project Protecting the biodiversity of Puka Mountains. The project period was from 1 August 2016 to 30 July 2017, and included the following objectives:

  • The promotion of biodiversity in the areas of Puka municipality

  • Sustainable rural development in the areas of Puka municipality

  • To improve the sustainable use of non-timber forest products through an inclusive and integrated approach

A highlight of the results achieved include:

  • An inventory of non-timber forest products in the areas of the areas of Puka municipality (a previous inventory was conducted in 1988)

  • Support the municipality of Puka to develop/review the Management Plan for non-timber forest products

  • Designing and disseminating a leaflet and poster on main non-timber forest products of Puka municipality as well as their harvesting and house manipulation

  • Rehabilitation of hot spots/damaged areas

beeswax as a means of economic empowerment among female youth

Four unemployed female youth, aged 18-27, will be chosen to participate in a 2-day training that will teach them the proper techniques to make handmade beeswax candles, as well as business and marketing skills. After the training, the 4 participants will continue to produce candles on a monthly basis and sell them at local and national outlets. At the end of the project, the 4 participants will travel to nearby villages and share their skills with women’s cooperation groups.

The project will involve participants in local economic development. The project aims to economically empower a marginalized group in a rural, mountainous region in the north of Albania.

RURAL-YOU RURAL ALBANIAN YOUTH

The project is an invitation to look at the rural world from the perspective of young people: enables rural youth to be aware of the opportunities available at the sector level, actively participate in the sustainable growth of their territories, exercise their voice in the public arena.

Activities are divided into 3 Clusters, pillars of the intervention strategy, reflected in Project outputs:

1- AWARENESS 2- ACTIVISM 3- NETWORK

Objectives:

  1. The overall objective is to strengthening rural youth’s interest representation and contribution to the implementation of Albania’s EU accession agenda in the agricultural and rural development sector in the long-term.

  2. The specific objective is to enhance youth participation in the social, economic, and political life of rural and remote communities of north-eastern Albania in the medium-term, namely in Shkoder, Kukes, and Diber Regions.

This project is implemented by RTM and AgroPuka is a parner organization.Since 2001, AGROPUKA has been implementing the “Promoting Agriculture in the District of Puka” project that is funded by SDC. This project started with the orientation phase and was followed by two implementation phases (2002-2005 and 2005-2008) and a consolidation phase 2008-2009.

The project aimed at addressing the needs of Puka farm households. The project has provided a great support to development of the area through collection and processing centers, fruit tree growing and rehabilitation of unproductive lands, rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure, goat rearing, mechanization, etc. AGROPUKA has also provided technical advice and training to farmers, specialists, and other interested groups.

 

The “Promoting Agriculture in the District of Puka” project has had an important impact on agriculture and livestock producers of Puka district. There is much more cooperation between AGROPUKA and the farmers, more supply of agriculture products such as honey, seed potatoes, fruits, wild berries, mushrooms, blended tea, etc. There are sure marketing channels operational for dried fruits, dried mushrooms, wild berries and herbs for teas and honey.

Agropuka has been awarded projects and small grants from USAID, US Embassy, SIDA, EU, AWEN, etc.