Capacity building for local actors of the agritourism sector and promotion of good agritourism models/practices for the development of sustainable food systems. Agreement with FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).
The project has started with implementation from January 2023 and aims to contribute to the transformation of food systems to make them sustainable from a social, economic and environmental point of view through increasing the capacities of local actors in the agritourism sector as one of the main contributing sectors in food systems in Albania. This pilot project is under implementation in the Municipality of Përmet.
The project aims to achieve these results:
- To improve the capacities of local actors involved in the agritourism sector to enable this sector to contribute to and benefit from the sustainability of food systems.
- To promote good models/practices of sustainable agritourism as a tool for the sustainable development of food systems through the conservation and development of agrobiodiversity.
The activities of the Project are organized in two groups:
- Group 1:
- Training sessions in technical aspects for farmers and small & medium business entities engaged in agritourism services in the area of Përmet on the sustainable management of local varieties of plants and fruit trees, connecting genetic resources and tradition with local food products as a means of building sustainability of food systems;
- Workshops for the networking of local actors (providers of local products and tourist services) related to the creation of a network between them;
- Training sessions on networking of suppliers of local products and tourist services in the design of complete packages with different themes of sustainable agrotourism services (ie from farm activities to restaurant and accommodation services);
- Study visit to selected agritourism units for exchange of knowledge/experience with agritourism actors in other countries of the region (e.g. in one of the countries of the Western Balkans);
- Group 2:
- Preparation of a video of good practices implemented in the three agro-tourism units in the Project area;
- Preparation, printing and distribution of information leaflets for the new agro-tourism service package with the theme of preserving local genetic resources;
- Organizing a local fair to showcase local food products and good practices of sustainable agritourism service;
- Promotion of genetic resources of local plants/varieties through three demonstration plots in agrotourism farms (including demonstration of plantings, agrotechnical services, etc.)