Deep Roots

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local varieties of fruits, olive trees, grapes, and medicinal

and aromatic plants. On the other hand, family farming

in itself, as a unit, is much diversified, including all live-

stock products, fruits and vegetables, fishery in small water

reservoirs, medicinal and aromatic plants, beekeeping and

mushrooms, creating the right environment for developing

polyculture agriculture.

Family farming is a social tissue that throughout history

has preserved traditions, local identity and cultural herit-

age, contributing to the country’s stability. The social role

that family farms play today has considerably changed.

Until recently, staying in line with traditional and conserv-

ative sociology, the head of the household was usually the

oldest man followed closely by the oldest sons. The wife

generally took care of the housework, child rearing and

financial matters pertaining to the farm. However, agricul-

tural activities have changed over time and are actually

much more diversified. The involvement of women and

younger generations in rural family farming is increasing.

Being a country with a very high rate of emigration, espe-

cially in the neighbouring countries which were heavily

hit by the recent financial crisis, like Greece and Italy, a

large number of youth have had to return in recent years,

finding employment opportunities only in the agriculture

sector. At any rate, the need for the young farmers to take

over is great, as it is estimated that currently 30 per cent of

the employees in agriculture are above the age of 64 years,

in itself a strong evidence of the wide presence of family

farming in the country.

The benefits of family farming in preserving traditional

food products while contributing to a balanced diet are

known. They provide an opportunity for conducting a life-

style that is unique to village countryside. The existence of

such elements in Albanian villages has come to be recognized

as a strong incentive to the development of agritourism.

Albania is gradually, but surely, turning its eyes towards

agriculture, realizing the potential of the sector for the

economic growth of the country. In light of the recog-

nized challenges in this sector, the current government

has for the first time dedicated an important part of its

programme to the transformation of Albanian agriculture

from a subsistence model to a modern and sustainable agri-

culture. Apart from policies which aim at environmental

protection and the conservation of biodiversity, in order

to enhance support for family farming the Government has

improved the direct payment scheme to farmers through

criteria which are closely linked with the regionalization of

agricultural production. The shift is very important as the

country’s geographical areas vary considerably in terrain

and climate conditions, each region being suitable for the

cultivation of specific products only. Family farming is the

direct beneficiary of such oriented policies since most of

the country’s land relief is mountainous and not prone to

intensive agriculture.

Family farms are the most important contributor to food security, producing

food for self-consumption as well as for the market

The majority of Albania’s family farms use local varieties in their production,

preserving species such as small ruminant breeds

Image: Min of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Administration

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