No Drugs! Food Hub – A Sustainable Development Alternative for Youth and Communities in Librazhd
Municipality of Librazhd
World Vision Albania
Beneficiaries:Farmers community; agriculture enterprises;
01.10.2021 - 31.01.2024
Overall Objective
The overall objective: Librazhd Community is active in eliminating and preventing cultivating illicit drugs through sustainable rural economic development measures improving the overall quality of life and security of its citizens.
Summary of the Project
This action aims to mobilize the citizens in the community-level, including vulnerable groups and civil society organisations with a view to reduce inequality of opportunities. Through this project, Municipality of Librazhd will focus on establishment of a Food Hub which will serve to the community of Librazhd including farmers, young people or vulnerable groups to involve and facilitate socio economic oriented activities. It will aim to create economically viable alternatives to cannabis cultivation and to increase public awareness against cannabis cultivation and trafficking.
Activities
The main activities are as follows:
- Establish and equip the Food Hub (identification of the building/ construction and adjustment, equipment with physical and technological assets for proper functioning);
- Develop and approve 5-year business plan for the Functional Centre – Food Hub;
- Identification of businesses and classification according to the products;
- Capacity building / technical advisory to groups of producers to increase product quality;
- Facilitate formalization of producers’ groups (prioritizing community members who live in challenging socio-economic situations;
- Capacity building on certification standards and products certification and branding;
- Expose youth with economic alternatives and organize capacity building on how to draft a plan and start up a business.
Results
- Establish the Food Hub (a functional center for local, rural products) for the aggregation, cooling, storage, packing, certification, marketing and sales;
- Establish agreements between local farmers / businesses and the functional center for the aggregation of agricultural, livestock and medicinal products;
- Create branded / certified products competitive enough to access the market and guarantee better sales for the farmers;
- Improve knowledge, skills and attitude of young generation towards on self-employment opportunities.
