Download A fish restocking project in Bosanska Krupa, north western Bosnia and Herzegovina

Participatory development for farmers in Kosovo and Montenegro
Montenegro is a young country in the Western Balkans and thanks to the tourism industry it has a fast
growing economy. However, the country’s economic growth has not benefited the northern region as
much as other parts of the country. The northern parts of the country is home to 31.5% of the
population, however, the region provides only 18% of the country’s GDP. In Kosovo the average per
capita income is only US$ 2,032 per year – the lowest in Europe – and the situation in rural areas is
even worse than in the capital, Pristina.
In order to improve the lives of people living in the remote regions of Kosovo and Montenegro, in
2006 FAO started a project entitled “Development Assistance to Farmers in Remote Areas of
Montenegro and Kosovo (GCP/RER/019/LUX)”. The project is funded by Luxembourg. During
participatory meetings in the initial phases, farmers were asked what type of assistance would be most
useful for them. After this, those farmers that were interested in taking part in the project were given
training on various topics that they said are needed in order to improve opportunities in farming. In
some cases, FAO gives farmers farm equipment that they have expressed a need for.
In 2011, building on the project’s success so far, several activities are being organized. These include:
i) demonstrations of how to improve animal forage production ii) training farmers to use various types
of mechanical equipment iii) training farmers how to use new seed varieties to yield more and better
quality forage crops. Promotion of two cheese units, whose production was established as part of the
project will also continue - these units won gold medals for quality at the International food fair Budva
2011. The first cereal seed production in Montenegro successfully took place in 2010 thanks to the
project’s work. The project will also continue to help farmers’ cooperatives with seed production. The
project staff assists farmers in developing connections with wool importers from the UK, and wool
exports are ongoing in spring 2011.
Young Farmer’s Club Members in front of FAO office in Dragash
FAO realized that something also needed to be
done for young people in the region, as migration
is a long-standing problem and demographic
change threatens the sustainability of mountain
farming. With this in mind FAO is helping to setup Young Farmers’ Clubs, where young people
are encouraged to decide which activities they
want to organize and what training needs they
have. These clubs have been successfully
established in a previous similar project
implemented in the Sandzak region of Serbia. In
Serbia currently 20 clubs are active. Twenty-four
young farmers’ clubs have been established in
total in Kosovo and Montenegro.
The project staff will organise English language and computer courses, as well as courses in
environmental and agricultural education- based on the wishes of the club’s members. In the spring the
young people will take part in a ploughing competition and a course on animal health.