Consolidating the Role of the Albanian Network for Rural Development Towards a Functional Model of Bottom-up and Participatory Perspective in National Rural Agenda
Institute of Democracy and Mediation (IDM)
Agrinet
AgroPuka
02.2018 - 09.2020
Overall Objective
The overall objective of the project is to enhance the impact and involvement of civil society organisations (CSOs) and CSOs Network and other rural stakeholders in advocating for and influencing the design and implementation of rural development policy in Albania in order to improve the quality of life in rural communities as well as accelerate the reform of the policy and its approximation with the EU policy.
The overall goal will be achieved through:
- Strengthening ANRD’s and its constituents’ capacity for sustainable and participatory rural development
- Empowering the role of the ANRD through multi-stakeholder partnership forums at regional level
- Promoting evidence-based rural policy-making
- Undertaking bottom-up and participatory advocacy platforms at regional and national level to advance the interests and priorities of rural communities
Summary of the Project
The project was implemented by three founding and most active member organisations of the Albanian Network for Rural Development (ANRD) and builds upon their shared vision of civil participation in rural policymaking. As a result of the project, the Albanian Network for Rural Development and its constituents represented a crucial actor in a number of concrete initiatives and processes that advance rural communities’ interests and accelerate the processes towards EU development models and practices.
Specifically, the envisaged projects’ activities enabled the platform of the Albanian Rural Parliament to be decentralised into four regional rural parliaments. The journey toward the second Rural Parliament involved ongoing efforts to consolidate the role of the ANRD, to empower the non-public sector, to establish multi-stakeholder and inter-sector partnerships as well as to carry out studies and research in the sector.
Activities
- Consolidate ANRD structure and decentralise decision-making through establishing four regional forums
- Empower ANRD and its constituents through the establishment and functioning of the four regional multi-stakeholder partnership forums
- Organise networking activities and exchange visits among representatives of the four multi-stakeholder forums on the regional and national level
- Conduct a capacity building programme for research, analysis, advocacy and lobby to equip grassroots CSOs with adequate know-how and skills to sustain their role as advocates of rural communities’ priorities
- Prepare research studies and a series of policy papers addressing critical issues in rural development and/or identified gaps in relation to the EU Common Agricultural Policy, especially regarding Community-Led Local Development
- Organise bottom-up and participatory advocacy platforms to advance rural communities’ interests and priorities as well as to accelerate the reform processes through inclusive, nation-wide and bottom-up advocacy initiatives
Expected Results
- ANRD is consolidated through strengthened regional representation of its constituents, decentralised decision-making, country-wide coverage of the territory and enhanced visibility
- The role of ANRD and its constituents is strengthened through multi-stakeholder partnership forums at regional level as spaces for stakeholders’ interaction and consultation, information sharing, exchange and transfer of know-how with regard to rural development
- The capacities for advocacy, lobby, research and analysis of ANRD and its constituents and members of multi-stakeholder partnership forums are strengthened
- ANRD promotes evidence-based rural policy-making and bottom-up advocacy to accelerate Albanian rural development reform process and approximation with the EU Common Agricultural Policy, especially with regard to Community-Led Local Development.
Four Regional WORKSHOPs “Existing initiatives and the perspective of implementing the LEADER approach in the territories of Drini, Arbëri, Egnatia and Vjosa Forums” March 2019
National round-table on Governance of Agriculture and Rural Development, February 12, 2019
Eight Regional meetings “Consultation process on the Governance of Agriculture and Rural Development” November 2018
Four regional meetings “Connecting local actors and initiatives for sustainable practices in rural development”, July 2018
