Stories from the present

If you are looking for a recipe for a successful enterprise, we have found one that has been successful and relevant over the years for farmers from Korça: 2 dashes of boldness, 3 spoons of knowledge, 4 cups of will, and a bowl full of commitment are the ideal combination for a successful enterprise. Six farmers have shared their success stories while developing a new mindset about sustainable agriculture.

Spartak, Albana, Shkëlqim, Mario, Nikel and Afrim are successful farmers and very enthusiastic about their land. But taking care of the land is not so easy as you might think. The farmers say that they face a lot of challenges and issues in agriculture. However, they do not give up because they are all fighters and do not like standing still.

What brings a 26-year-old boy and a middle-aged 45-year-old man together, or a 53-year-old grandfather and a 37-year-old lady? Land and its generosity. On a sweltering Tuesday in July, we begin our day with a visit to Shkëlqim’s farm. We find him alone at home, switching on the water pump at the well he has recently drilled with World Vision's assistance.

“If it hadn't been for those holy 18 meters of linear tube, the entire harvest would have gone to waste since I wouldn't have had anything to irrigate the trees with,” says Shkëlqim, the grandfather of a 4-year-old.

He and his wife have spent their whole lives working in agriculture, and they are able to speak openly about it, during the communist and democratic period.

“Things are really difficult,” says the grey-haired man, tired from laboring in the fields. “In the past, we had waterworks that helped us with irrigation. Now they have been destroyed.”

During Albania's transition years, the few piloted collection stations became ineffective. Markets were either nonexistent or unorganized, and production was by hand. Farmers sold their products below cost along national highways, jeopardizing their lives, or dumped products in canals due to a lack of market organization are images that crop up every year. Onions, potatoes, and apples were left in stock and tossed into canals for several years. Now, the pandemic continues to affect the Korça region, which is one of the country's biggest agricultural producers for various crops.

Currently, according to INSTAT data, the Korça region has one of the highest productivity levels in the country. Korça is first in potato production with 59,315 tons, first in fruit tree production with 82,007 tons, and third in grain production with 78,810 tons, according to the official report from 2020. It accounts for 44.41 percent of production in the group of fruit trees with seeds, with the production of apples accounting for 84.03 percent of the total in this group. The Korça region accounts for 83.14 percent of the country's total apple production. All of this leads to lost time, wasted effort, frustrated farmers, who are weary of challenges.
Almost all the farmers we meet say the same thing.

Even Spartak, who has constructed a greenhouse in his backyard, and Nikel, and Afrim, who must work hard to irrigate the beans after the drought, and Albana, who, unlike the others, raises broilers. But what keeps them going? What drives them to battle and, like Sisyphus, and carry their boulders to the top of the mountain every day, knowing that it will roll back down due to a lack of rainfall or markets, and their efforts will be for naught? What distinguishes their fight as legitimate? What is the source of their motivation? What is it that drives them to keep going? All these endeavors have a common denominator: a love for the land, a passion for their country, and a desire to progress in Albania.

Albana, a lady from Pojan who has nurtured her enthusiasm for broiler breeding, adds, “Both my sons lived in France and Germany. They’re both back here now, and they're both supporting me in my venture.” Albana, like everyone else, began with the intention of developing the small plot of land she owned. However, she thought of giving up due to the challenges and inadequate land.

The concept of farming broilers was sparked by a meeting with World Vision and farmers' groups. “Ever since we started going to the organization meetings, we've been talking about challenges and ideas, and we have learnt from each other, and I started seriously considering the broiler breeding initiative.” Albana began with 60 broilers and now has 700, Igli began with 100 tomato seedlings and now has 1,500, and Spartak started from scratch and now has two greenhouses in the yard. Everyone has been put to the test in different ways, but none of them ever gave up.

“It's because of you,” Spartak says, “as well as the knowledge I picked up throughout training and the meetings, that I made it in the end. Without you and my knowledge, I would have given up right from the start.” And while the first challenges remain great, newfound dreams are superior to them. Albana wishes to build her own large incubator to house a greater number of broilers and chickens, Spartak wishes to make twice as much as the previous year, i.e., more than 500,000 ALL, and Nikel wishes to expand the area of planted fields.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us; we need to consider broiler food, medicines, and vaccinations, among other things. If we could not even make an artisanal incubator to keep the broilers warm in the winter before, now we must think about real incubators that supply energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Albana says that her thoughts are shifting to a bright and challenging future. In addition, she says that knowledge is essential; without it, they would not be where they are.

Over the course of the past year, World Vision Albania has supported 400 farmers in the Korça area with 7 training cycles, 8,250 kg of chemical fertilizers, and 36 m of linear tube, and it plans to continue supporting them with chemical fertilizers, agricultural accessories, and product packaging assistance, as well as helping 299 other farmers who are part of the project.