Projects
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.
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:
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.
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.