Despite a shocking lack of government investment, the hardworking farmers of Albania are beginning to make a living, reports Marie Cacace.
The road or rather track to the village of Blinisht, in Northern Albania is a bumpy and winding one. Tracks like this make it difficult for the local farmers to transport and sell their produce. From the car window, I can see people on donkey carts trying to carry their goods to nearby villages, in the hope of selling it.
While 23% of Albania’s gross domestic product (GDP) comes from agriculture, only 2.7% of the government’s annual budget is allocated to it. And over half the population live in rural areas like this one.
The challenges are huge for these hardworking farmers. There are few irrigation systems, the nearby roads are damaged, there are few processing plants for any goods, and families in this area do not have enough money to buy the equipment they need to work their land. Understandably many local people have left their land in search of better opportunities abroad.
I arrive at the agricultural school of Krajen, which offers one of the only lifelines to people in this area. Until this school was built, the only option for young people was to leave their homes in search of a better life. Ironically, most of them go to neighbouring countries to work their land. Now, with support from Oxfam and its partners, students are learning vital skills on how to work on their limited family land and make a living.
Gjergji, the director of the school, proudly directs me into a huge room with a shiny metal machine. I look puzzled. Gjergj explains, “This is the only processing unit of its kind in the area which means that farmers can now process olives and grapes here, rather than travelling long distances along difficult roads and having to fork out the expensive fuel costs. Olive oil fetches a good price in the market. The machines also serve to teach the students how to make the much sought after olive oil. So here we support both farmers and young farmers to be. ”
When I step outside with Gjergj, I see that olive saplings line the landscape around the school. I notice that these have recently been planted. “People can now see that life can change for them. These olive trees are evidence of this. Seeing the potential of making money through the processing unit, people have started to invest in their olive plantations. Both students and farmers are now starting to see agriculture as a means of making a living, something which was undervalued before.”
For the time being, farmers here use the oil they make for their own consumption and sell it to each other. But as the olive trees grow and more oil is produced, farmers will be able to start selling further afield.
I am happy to hear that people in this area are starting to realise the potential of the ground that they live on, and see it as providing a future.
More on this: Oxfam photostory - working with youth in Albania
Tags: albania
