PLANNING AND LOCAL GOVERNANCE PROJECT IN ALBANIA Women, Peace & Security (WPS): Gender-Sensitive Value Chain Analysis in the Municipality of Librazhd
SEPTEMBER 2019 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Tetra Tech. PREPARED FOR THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, USAID CONTRACT NUMBER AID-182-C-12-00001, ALBANIA PLANNING AND LOCAL GOVERNANCE PROJECT (PLGP).
THE GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD WAS CONDUCTED BY CREATIVE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS (CBS) IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE USAID PLANNING AND LOCAL GOVERNANCE PROJECT (PLGP) / WOMEN, PEACE & SECURITY (WPS).
CBS WORKING GROUP: LIANA SULEYMANOVA; ELJO MUCAJ; ALIS MUSTAFA; ERGENT PIRE; ENI ALMETA
PLGP INTERNATIONAL EXPERTISE: GRANIA MACKIE - EXPERT IN GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS
TETRA TECH ARD CONTACT: SARAH LEDDY SENIOR ADVISER/MANAGER [email protected]
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PLANNING AND LOCAL GOVERNANCE PROJECT IN ALBANIA WOMEN, PEACE & SECURITY (WPS) Gender-Sensitive Value Chain Analysis in the Municipality of Librazhd
DISCLAIMER This report is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of Tetra Tech and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Tables ...... ii
List of Figures ...... ii
List of Abbreviations ...... iii
Rationale ...... 1
Methodology ...... 1 Method / Approach ...... 1 Methodology: Sector Selection ...... 2 Methodology: Research Limitations ...... 3
Context ...... 4 National Context on Gender Equality ...... 4 Librazhd. General Background ...... 5
Value Chain Analysis ...... 12 General Evaluation Based on Criteria/ SWOT Analysis ...... 12 Map of Honey Value Chain (HVC) ...... 17 Value Chain Actors ...... 18 Research Findings & Opportunities for Women Empowerment in the selected VC ...... 20
Action plan ...... 26 Suggested General Recommendations for the Municipality of Librazhd ...... 26
Bibliography ...... 30
Annexes ...... 32 List of Surveys ...... 32
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD i
LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Natural monuments in the Municipality of Librazhd ...... 8 Table 2. Ranking and selection of value chains using Gender-Sensitive Criteria: Municipality of Librazhd ...... 12 Table 3. Assessment of women’s empowerment and gender equality in the Honey Production Value Chain ...... 13 Table 4. Women empowerment opportunities in the Honey Value Chain ...... 15 Table 5. SWOT analysis of the Honey Production Value Chain ...... 15 Table 6. Recommendations for Honey Production Value Chain ...... 27
LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Methodological Approach ...... 2 Figure 2. Identified Value Chains ...... 8 Figure 3. Mapping of the Honey Production Value Chain...... 17 Figure 4. HACCP Certification Steps ...... 20 Figure 5. Opportunities of the Honey Production Value Chain ...... 21 Figure 6. Constraints of the Honey Production Value Chain ...... 23
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD ii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ARDA - Agriculture & Rural Development Agency BDS - Business Development Service CBS - Creative Business Solutions CEMR - Council of European Municipalities and Regions FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization GoA - Government of Albania GSVCA - Gender-Sensitive Value Chain Analysis GIZ - German International Development Agency HACCP - Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point standard ILO - International Labour Organization INSTAT - Institute of Statistics of Albania IPARD - Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Rural Development ISO - International Organization for Standardization MARD - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development NFA - National Food Authority NGO - Non-governmental Organization NSAPGE - National Strategy and Action Plan on Gender Equality PLGP - Planning and Local Governance Project TAR - Territorial and Administrative Reform ToP - Training of Practitioners UNDP - United Nations Development Programme USAID - United States Agency for International Development VC - Value Chain
WPS - Women, Peace & Security
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RATIONALE The goal of the Planning and Local Governance Project’s (PLGP) Women, Peace & Security (WPS) activities is to build community resiliency and sustainability through activities that will contribute to the prevention of social exclusion, violent extremism, radicalization, marginalization, recruitment and conflict with a primary focus on women and girls as robust agents of peace and stability through a two-pronged, bottom-up implementation approach, while also strengthening host country capacity to perform these activities at the local, national, and regional levels. The project recognizes the importance of gender equality for sustainable economic and social development and women’s roles in building community resiliency and sustainability. This activity (under Component 3 and 4 of the PGLP project) is embedded in: 1. The project objectives of preventing and countering violent extremism, and supporting the social, economic, and political opportunities of women and girls in 6 municipalities1. 2. The project objective of pursuing economic inclusion activities for women through value chain analyses on selected value chains to identify opportunities for upgrading and diversification, the needs of those most vulnerable at specific stages within it, thereby improving market access for women in the (often informal) economy. This assignment speaks directly to these objectives by supporting the economic empowerment of women and promoting gender equality at the same time as upgrading in selected value chains (VCs) in the Municipality of Librazhd. The activity supports the capacity building of local value chain actors and support functions to be able to better sustain gender-sensitive value chain development.
METHODOLOGY
METHOD / APPROACH The study was conducted by Creative Business Solutions (CBS) with the support of the PLGP Expert in Gender-Sensitive Value Chain Analysis, Grania Mackie, in the framework of the PLGP project and its main objective was to first, identify the main sectors (tourism and agriculture) in the Municipality of Librazhd, presenting opportunities for economic growth and development, as well as evaluate the women’s involvement in the processes and their chances of empowerment, and second, to narrow down to the value chains with the most potential for development, as well as giving recommendations about specific measures that would increase women’s role and eliminate gender-biased initiatives. The methodology used is a qualitative one, combining both secondary and primary sources. Secondary sources include the consideration of different reports and data which were mainly gathered from official publications and statistics of the Institute of Statistics in Albania, Municipalities reports (mainly Strategic and Operational Plans, i.e. “General Local Plan of the Municipality of Librazhd - Territorial Strategy”), Regional Councils reports, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Tourism and Environment, as well as data and information obtained from previous studies and projects conducted in the relevant field. The municipality reports were especially valuable in understanding the general economic structure of the area, and municipal vision for ensuring sustainable economic development. During the subsequent evaluation of the value chains in the agriculture sector, the methodologies considered were “Market and value chain analysis of selected sectors in Albania for diversification of the
1 Bulqizë, Cërrik, Kamëz, Librazhd, Dibër, and Pogradec
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rural economy and women’s economic empowerment” (FAO 2018), and “Chapter 4: Value Chain Mapping Tool” and “Module 11: Sustainable Value Chains” (GIZ) served as a reference during the designing of the value chain mapping.
METHODOLOGY: SECTOR SELECTION Primary sources, i.e. field research was used for the sector selection, including group consultations and brainstorming sessions with the municipality representatives, honey producers and experts and this step was divided into two phases. In the first phase, preliminary assessment of the value chains took place, having discussions and meetings with the municipality representatives, producers, participants from supporting organizations, and the project’s field coordinators, in order to identify the opportunities of the value chains. This phase was concluded with the organization of a three-day Training of Practitioners (ToP) of a focus groups format, during which participants had the chance to bring up additional details, opportunities, constraints and get a clear view and understanding of the value chains and during which the honey production value chain emerged as the primary focus area. In the second phase, on-site visits, observation of the activities, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with tailored questionnaires for different actors in the value chain were conducted, specifically: with the largest honey producers in Librazhd; customers of these honey producers, input providers, and representatives of the supporting functions institutions (municipality, beekeepers’ associations, beekeepers’ federation, NGOs, etc.).
Figure 1. Methodological Approach Overall, the process followed these steps: 1. Objectives & Target Group: Establishment of objectives based on national and municipal goals (i.e. Improving livelihoods and promoting gender equality) and definition of the target group and criteria of selection: a. Target group: Low-income women and men at a municipal level; b. Criteria: the importance of the sector in creating livelihoods for women and men;
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 2
2. Municipal Scope: The initial municipal scoping and desk research, based on plans, strategies, previous studies, etc.; 3. Main sectors: The identification of the main sectors through the assessment of different reports, data, and publications; 4. Capacity Building: Capacity building of practitioners in gender-sensitive value chain analysis to ensure a common understanding of rationale and processes; 5. VC Evaluation: Evaluation of the main value chains belonging to the sectors selected through brainstorming, discussions, focus-groups; 6. VC Selection: Selection of one main value chain and assessment of opportunities, constraints, and areas of interventions through field research; 7. Recommendations: Provision of recommendations on the improvement of the value chain for the municipality and on the intervention options for the PLGP project.
METHODOLOGY: RESEARCH LIMITATIONS The focus of the present study is the practical analysis of the main value chains in the Municipality of Librazhd, looked through a gender lens. One of the biggest problems that arose in the course of this research is the scarcity of secondary sources (other GSVCA analyses). The majority of value chain studies available in Albania represent more straightforward local economic development analyses rather than assessment with the focus on women’s livelihoods. This study will attempt to fill the existing gap in the literature on the topic. Conceptually, implementing gender-sensitive value chain analyses can sometimes be problematic. The research findings are often general and depending on the goal (improving women’s livelihoods or otherwise, empowering women), could lead to the intervention scenarios that aim at economic development rather than on improving the situation of women per se. The goal of this study is therefore to provide the Municipality of Librazhd as well as the PLGP project with practical recommendations that affect the population of the selected municipality as a whole that would consequently lead to the betterment of the conditions of women in the municipality. The Training of Practitioners (ToP) as well as the interviews conducted represent the sample size of the study and might be considered small (the assignment length – about 1 month); with the majority constituting the representatives of the honey value chain. However, the use of municipal strategic documents, as well as the research on the ground, supported the hypothesis that the trends observed could be considered representative of groups of people to whom results will be generalized or transferred. Lastly, there is a lack of reliable statistical data when it comes to the Albanian case. Due to the high degree of informality in the sector and the conflicting methodology when it comes to the statistical estimations used by local authorities and INSTAT, the results of the desk research (when it comes to main sectors/ value chains) often didn’t coincide with the results obtained during the ToPs and interviews with stakeholders. Additionally, most of the data available are not segregated by gender.
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CONTEXT
NATIONAL CONTEXT ON GENDER EQUALITY Albania has developed a solid legal and institutional framework to promote gender equality and protection of women’s rights, for example: • The Albanian Constitution adopted in 1998 provides for and guarantees equality between men and women and the policy on equal opportunities and the prohibition of discrimination, among other causes, based on gender. (Article18). • The Law “On Gender Equality” was adopted in 2008. This law regulates the fundamental principles of gender equality, by requiring equal participation of women and men in all areas of life, the equal status between women and men, equal opportunities and chances to enjoy rights and fulfill obligations in society and obtain equal benefits from their achievements and developments. The law defines “gender-based discrimination” (Article 11) • The Law “On Protection from Discrimination” was adopted in 2010. According to this law, no one shall discriminate on any ground such as gender, race, color, ethnicity, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, political, religious or philosophical beliefs, economic, educational or social status, pregnancy, family affiliation, parental responsibility, age, family or marital status, civil status, place of residence, health status, genetic predisposition, disability, affiliation to a particular group or any other cause. • The National Strategy and Action Plan on Gender Equality (NSAPGE) adopted in 2016, where efforts are targeted at society of equal opportunities and free of violence, in which: needs of women and men are taken into consideration and addressed equally; women are respected, protected, promoted and supported to progress equally to men. Particularly relevant to this activity is Strategic Goal 1 of the NSAPGE: Economic empowerment of women and men. At a local level, promoting inclusion and equality is a component of legal and policy frameworks, which underline the obligations of local government units in the area of gender equality (UN Women, 2019). For example, the Law “On Gender Equality” elaborates on the need for promoting gender equality in local governance. Special units that are responsible for the presentation, supervision, and monitoring of performance and service, including gender equality. Efforts have been made by several municipalities to meet the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) regulations and EU standards, with a clear structure, priorities, responsibilities, and budgets that respond to the needs of women, men, girls, and boys equally (UN Women, 2018). As a result of proactive laws, policies, and prams, Albania has seen improvements in many aspects of gender equality, for example, in women’s role in private sector development. In comparison to 2016, the percentage of enterprises owned or run by women in 2017 has increased in all regions of Albania. However, successful decentralization and implementation of legal and development frameworks are still challenging, and the pace of change in women’s economic empowerment through private sector development is slow, especially for rural women. Gender norms, roles, responsibilities and gender bias in women’s access to productive resources (such as land, finance, networks, technology, and equipment) and business services mean that there is still not a level playing field for women and men in economic and social spheres. Some impacts of gender bias visible in Albania in economic empowerment through enterprise development are for example:
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 4
• In Albania, women own or manage only 28.5 percent of all enterprises, many of which are under- capitalized small and medium enterprises in highly informal lower value-added sectors (UN Women, n.d.). • Women are over-represented in Albania’s informal economy and as unpaid family workers in businesses and on farms. Over 50 percent of Albanian women work in agriculture – 87 percent of them in unpaid family jobs. Many rural women are not covered by basic social and enterprise services. (FAO, 2018) • In Albania, more than 80 percent of the land titles are in the name of the ‘head of household’ or former head of household (father-in-law, father or grandfather). Women rural areas have limited information on land, access to extension services and perceive high levels of inequality in family decision-making and land rights compared with male members of the family (Zhllima, Edvin et al., 2016). As a rural area, Librazhd reflects the overall situation of the rural women in Albania. Women play an important role in agriculture and rural development in Albania making up a significant share of the agriculture workforce, although in most cases informal. The agricultural sector employs more than 54 percent of all economically active women, 87 percent of whom work as informal or family workers (FAO, 2016b). Female farm managers represent only 6.47 percent of the total number of farm managers. Although male and female farmworkers are quite comparable in number in the rural areas (224,639 males and 267,098 females), there is a large difference between men and women in terms of non-farm labor (UNDP, 2016). In family farming, there can be observed a gender-based distribution of tasks. Male gender roles are associated with tasks that involve control over agricultural assets, mobility and decision-making and female gender roles are associated with manual work in agriculture and livestock, including pre-harvest and post-harvest activities, food processing and household tasks. This distribution of labor has resulted in women's limited access to, and control over, agricultural assets and decision-making. Additionally, their access to extension service is very limited, only ten percent of beneficiaries of extension services are women (FAO, 2016b). Enabling agriculture business growth and fostering overall sector development would create better opportunities for women in rural areas and better chances for their economic empowerment.
LIBRAZHD. GENERAL BACKGROUND The Municipality of Librazhd is located in the center-east part of Albania, is part of Elbasan region and is composed by 7 administrative units, namely: Hotolisht, Librazhd, Lunik, Orenjë, Polis, Qendër Librazhd, and Stëblevë. The total population of this municipality based on the 2011 Census is 31,892 inhabitants, while according to Civil Register the population is 44,181 inhabitants. The total area is 793.36 km². There is a total number
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of 5,881 families in this municipality, 40 percent out of which are above average income households, 60 percent possess a personal computer, 65 percent have internet access, and 75 percent own at least one car2. In the Municipality of Librazhd, there is officially 9,500 ha agricultural land, but the actual size of land is larger, approximately 13,500 ha out of which: 80 ha are planted by grapevines; 64 ha by fruit trees and plantations; 31 ha are taken by pastures; 5,900 ha are complex cultivation models, and 7,421 ha is mainly occupied by agriculture3. The local economy in the municipality is mainly based on services in the town and agriculture and livestock in the rural areas. In all sectors of the economy, the prevalence of micro- enterprises is noticeable (most of which are informal), which have a limited impact when it comes to economic growth and employment. When it comes to women’s situation especially, the majority of females are engaged in informal livelihood activities which is hard to document and quantify. The biggest employers in the town are related to garment and leather and shoe industry, in addition to a car spare parts production company (wheels and gears). Products from these companies are exported mainly to Italy. Forest utilization (for production of timber woodworking) has also been a traditional and profitable activity for some businesses in the area. In recent years, beekeeping has developed significantly with an increased number of local beekeepers (see below)4. About 58.3 percent of the inhabitants live on employment or self- employment. The municipality provides social aid to 3,200 families (23 percent of the total family number), from which to 205 women head of households (6.5 percent of the families receiving social aid). The unemployment rate is perceived to be high, but official data is missing. The only data available is the number of people registered during 2018 at the Regional Labor Office in Elbasan looking for a job – a total of
2 CBS’s Assessment Report of the 6 Municipalities. Source: Municipality of Librazhd (https://bashkialibrazhd.gov.al/statistika/)
3 Data extracted from Territorial Strategy for Librazhd, 2016.
4 PLGP Study: Municipality of Librazhd Mapping Assessment, 2019. Unpublished.
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786; 414 of which are women (52 percent), 323 women head of household (41 percent) and people under 50 years old 539 (66 percent). The high percentage of people with primary education (50 percent), compared to the ones with university degrees (0.6 percent), explains the lack of professionals to meet the labor market needs. The low number of people with vocational education (43 people or 0.52 percent), is an indicator of the lack of opportunities to get this education in Librazhd, as this service is provided in Elbasan for the whole region5. There are 1,095 registered businesses in the Municipality of Librazhd. 132 businesses (12.2 percent of the total) are owned by women, including coffee bars and restaurants, groceries, pharmacies, dental clinics, hairdressers, tailoring shops, bakeries, notaries, laboratories, bookshops, currency exchange shops, etc. Women’s-owned businesses are mainly micro. 122 of these businesses have less than 10 employees and only 10 of them employee 10-49 people (Source: Municipality of Librazhd). The biggest (this according to Albanian law) local businesses in Librazhd include: two leather/shoes and garment factories, five timber and non-timber wood processing plants (32 employees), one water bottling company, one tobacco processing company (36 employees), one car spare parts factory and the “Librazhdi Winery” (10 employees, 6 women). Currently, a poultry farm is being built in Librazhd, which will be an added employment resource for local people. According to the interviews with the General Secretary of the municipality, several Italian and Greek investors have expressed interest in working in the agricultural tourism and hospitality sector. This has not resulted in concrete projects, due to the limitations coming from the legislation related to protected areas, which requests permission from the national government (line ministries). The biggest employer of women in Librazhd is the clothing industry, which employs around 95 women out of 126 employees in total. Also, many women from the area are hired in the fish factory located in Elbasan, around half-hour away from Librazhd. Through interviews with various stakeholders, we learned that a recently established factory that produces car spare parts (wheels and gears) is looking for the labor force and the owners are facing problems in hiring people, due to lack of qualified staff. One concern that was shared with us in interviews is a perceived unwillingness to enter employment due to the possible loss of social benefit payments. Other reasons might be the below-minimum income wages offered, and the receipt of remittances, which still play a large role in Albanians income sources. The main sectors that came out as having the most potential for improving the livelihoods of women, promoting gender equality and value chain development, were identified as follows: • Tourism: Natural, Cultural, Adventure • Agriculture: Honey production, vegetables, and fruit production.
5 PLGP Study: Municipality of Librazhd Mapping Assessment, 2019. Unpublished.
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Figure 2. Identified Value Chains The selection of the two short-listed sectors also coincides with the General Local Plan for Librazhd which mentions 1) developing tourism in the area among strategic priorities (“projects”), more specifically oriented towards promotion of natural, historical and archaeological landscape (sustainable tourism as a viable option to promote economic well-being of the area and increase employment). For the agricultural sector, the plan pays specific attention to developing an interconnected structure to support typical local products and providing trainings to producers in rural areas, especially when it comes to the livestock6 sub-sector and improvement of the quality of work process and production (efficiency) as well as increase employment.
TOURISM Librazhd has tourist resources in the nature-based tourism. Recently in the district of Librazhd has been declared a new national park, the Shebenik-Jabllanicë. But all suburbs of Librazhd are potential tourist destinations. It is ideal for adventure tourism, to visit Rrajcë, Sopot, Dardhë, Babje, Dorëz, Qarrishtë and all other suburbs, including the Prrenjas area. Lakes, springs, waterfalls, karst caves, tablelands, etc., inside and outside the natural park, are worthy of the strong development of green tourism and adventure. However, the lack of infrastructure for tourism in the municipality is a barrier to its growth. There are over 20 natural monuments and cultural sites in the area, such as Librazhd Museum, Egnatia road route and Kamara bridge (cultural monument). The natural monuments are listed in the table below:
TABLE 1. NATURAL MONUMENTS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD
GEO-MONUMENTS BIO-MONUMENTS HYDRO-MONUMENTS
The Hole of the Dardha Bear, The Birch Forest of Qarrishta, The Source of Studna, The hole of Storks, The Forest of Sravaj, The source of Kosharrishta, The cave of Hasani, The Wood of Bizga, The lakes of Rajca, The cave “Rock of Bee” Dardhë, The Plane-tree of Bërzeshta, The lake of Floqit, The well of Big Site, The Plane-trees of Gurakuqi, The lake of Shebeniku, The Cave of Kosharishti, The Mulberry of Çupi, The lake of the Old Woman’s grave, The cave of Pishkashi, The Plane-tree of Hotolishtit, Letmi mountain’s Cave, The Plane-tree of Taksimi, The mahogany of Skanderbeg, The Plane-tree of Gizavashi,
6 According to the methodology of the Plan, the beekeeping as a value chain also belongs to the livestock sub-sector.
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TABLE 1. NATURAL MONUMENTS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD The Beech-tree of Gurra field, The Forest of Paunchy Kostenjë,
Stëblevë is very suitable for tourism, as summer is full bloom, while winter is covered with snow, so it is suitable for white tourism and skiing. Many Stëblevë inhabitants have built houses for vacations. The mountain climatic tourism centers are set up in places where climatic conditions are better than those of permanent habitation. Agrotourism is another economic opportunity for the area and represents the kind of tourism that is connected to the village, where alongside the tourist entertainment activities, other characteristic activities of the area are also developed such as harvesting, fruit harvesting, food preparation, special desserts, handicrafts, etc. The forms of agrotourism are numerous. Ecotourism is the final destination of this area. Natural parks, hunting reserves, protected landscapes are becoming increasingly important ecotourist attractions for tourists. In order to develop the ecotourism in the area and convert it into an important economic factor in the region, basic services are needed, mostly related to improvement of transport and increase of infrastructure security, while the necessary improvements in the housing and food sector are very simple and modest ones, and do not require much investment.
AGRICULTURE Agriculture has a very high share in the economic development of the municipality (13,500 ha agriculture land and). Approximately 62 percent of the population is employed in agriculture. Representing mostly family-run businesses, there is not enough official data on the number and size (as well as the gender composition of workers) of farms in the municipality. The majority of businesses being of an informal nature. Despite this, the total number of 24 farms were identified for the purposes of this study. Generally, the farms in Albania are small, due to the Law 7501, which has created lots of issues, which has resulted in land fragmentation and land property disputes among farmers. Regarding forest utilization, the municipality administers 33,084 ha forest and the rest is a protected area (National Park Shebenik- Jabllanicë), managed by the Albanian Government. Because of Territorial and Administrative Reform (TAR), the municipality took over the forestry administration and inherited five contracts for the utilization of parts of the forest for a ten-year period. In this sector, there are also five timber and non- timber woodworking companies, two of them heating pellets production (export). The two timber production companies employ around 50 people each on seasonal bases, some of them women. There are seven local forestry associations in Librazhd and women represent 30 percent of their membership. Librazhd is known for the production of vegetables and fruit, such as tomatoes, potatoes, legume, apples, plums, grapes, etc. but the honey production in Librazhd has always been a long-standing tradition with women involved in every step of the process. The honey value chain is a source of additional income for many rural families in Librazhd. Beekeeping also contributes to women’s economic empowerment, social well-being, sustainable agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and environmental protection. There are about 180 beekeeping farms in Librazhd with a total number of 6,000 beehives. Each farm has 1.5-2 women participating in the value chain. About 30 percent of beekeeping farms are managed by women. The average size of the farm is 33 beehives. The overall income from beekeeping in Librazhd region about 180,000,000 ALL or 1.4 million euros (6,000 beehives X 20kg/hive x 1,500 ALL/ kg). About 60 percent of the income goes to cover the operating costs. There is an active Beekeepers Association, which is supported by the UNDP/RELOAD Project for building capacities of 27 beekeepers, seven youth (five out of them are girls). Since 2017, the municipality organizes
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the Honey Festival with the participation of 173 beekeepers from Librazhd and Prrenjas, aiming at promoting their products and providing opportunities for better sales. Supported by World Vision, in Librazhd operates the Community Business Council (CBC). The goal of the CBC is the facilitation of local businesses in rural areas. The CBC members have played an active role in solving business problems by enhancing relationships among them and with local administration as a necessary element in development. CBC members have assumed leadership roles by solving important obstacles in cooperation with local government. The CBC has 23 members, out of these 17 men and six women. The CBC has several years of experience in cooperation with local government, local associations and successful businesses. CBC members have played a clear role in solving business problems by enhancing their relationship with them as a necessary element in development. Through the business facilitation project, World Vision has managed to build capacities of 20 small business owners and provide commodities/equipment to 30 family-run businesses (technological equipment for wine production and beekeeping equipment with functional and suitable honey frames for fighting bee diseases). Also, they have delivered various vocational training courses to 32 young local people. Courses curricula include culinary, plumbing, electrics, mechanics, electro-house repairing, hotel service, and iron- bending. The vocational courses were conducted in Elbasan, due to lack of these services in the municipality. World Vision has also supported start-up businesses with seed money in the amount of $2,000. All key sectors in the municipality were initially reviewed using gender-sensitive value chain analysis (GSVCA) criteria: • Is there a growing demand for the product? • Are women involved in the steps of the chain? • Are most steps of the chain based in the municipality? • Are there existing or recent past initiatives to build on in the value chain? • Are there opportunities in developing the chain? • Is there a link between what women are doing and prospects for growth/diversification in the value chain?
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WOMEN BEEKEEPERS HARVESTING BEEHIVES DURING FIELD VISITS IN LIBRAZHD. SARAH KEESE FOR USAID.
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VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS
GENERAL EVALUATION BASED ON CRITERIA/ SWOT ANALYSIS During capacity building and Gender-Sensitive Value Chain Analysis (GSVCA) Training of Practitioners (ToP) workshops that took place July 10-12, 2019, the participants were divided into large groups, based on the potential value chains identified for the Municipality of Librazhd after the group discussion. For each identified group, four value chains were ranked as the ones with the most potential in Librazhd (Tourism, Food Production, Cultural Products, and Services), and a detailed evaluation took place based on some pre-defined criteria. Each group assessed the value chain and then discussions and suggestions led to further narrowing of the selected value chains. Honey value chain was chosen as the one with most potential considering the opportunity to make significant changes in the livelihood of women in particular with relatively small investments (increase of the number of beehives and upgrade processing technology) and there was noticed a direct link between women involvement in the VC and their active contribution to it. In the following tables are presented the assessment of women empowerment and gender equality in the honey production value chain, opportunities in the value chain, as well as the SWOT analysis.
TABLE 2. RANKING AND SELECTION OF VALUE CHAINS USING GENDER-SENSITIVE CRITERIA: MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD
TOURISM CULTURAL FOOD PRODUCTS SERVICES (AGRITOURISM, CRITERIA PRODUCTION (BASKETS, (TOUR GUIDES, ESPECIALLY (HONEY) GUESTHOUSES) FOOD ETC.) SOUVENIRS)
Is there a link between Cooking and cleaning Yes, direct link, more Not produced in Not sure. what women are doing are still a domain of opportunities to the area. and prospects for women, and with the participate as active growth/ diversification in rise of agritourism contributors of the the value chain? women can gain profits VC. out of it.
Do women have (or can They are already Basic skills, but a high No skills for Need training for they acquire) the skills involved in the will to learn. baskets. guide certifications. needed for value hospitality supporting addition through services, so their role processing or product can be strengthened diversification? through trainings.
Does this value chain Yes. Yes. N/A Yes. offer new opportunities for women?
Can the chain improve Agritourism is Currently most Requires Yes, but support livelihood conditions for considered a beekeepers are interconnections from the women/families? diversification strategy subsistence farms, with agritourism municipality is for farms and would further expansion development needed to attract bring additional incomes. could turn them into visitors. commercial farms.
Is there a motivated The tourism office in the The local association N/A The tourism office organization in the value municipality. of beekeepers. in the municipality. chain that can support/represent value
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TABLE 2. RANKING AND SELECTION OF VALUE CHAINS USING GENDER-SENSITIVE CRITERIA: MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD
CULTURAL TOURISM FOOD PRODUCTS SERVICES CRITERIA (AGRITOURISM, PRODUCTION (BASKETS, (TOUR GUIDES, ESPECIALLY (HONEY) FOOD ETC.) GUESTHOUSES) SOUVENIRS) chain actors that can move forward development?
Is there an opportunity Yes, especially grants Yes, small grants to Since basket are Not directly. to make changes with related to small increase the number not currently being small investments? infrastructure of beehives and produced locally, improvement work. upgrade processing changes with small technology. investments would be difficult.
TABLE 3. ASSESSMENT OF WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT AND GENDER EQUALITY IN THE HONEY PRODUCTION VALUE CHAIN
QUESTIONS SCORE* WEIGHT TOTAL NARRATIVE
Is the share of women 2 2 4 There are almost 30 percent of the beekeeping farms that employed in the value are managed by women in Librazhd. Considering the total chain relatively high? number of 180 farms, and the average employment of 1.5 to 2 women per farm, there are up to 270 – 360 women involved in the beekeeping and honey production sector.
Are there many female 2 2 4 Almost 30 percent of the businesses (farms) are managed entrepreneurs in the by women, which amounts to almost 54 farms managed value chain? by women (calculation of 180 farms).
Do women control 4 2 8 Women are involved in many honey production equipment and assets? processes, especially in processing activities, and they control the relevant assets and equipment.
Do women have (or can 5 1 5 Basic knowledge and skills, but they have a high will to they acquire) the skills learn and develop their skills and participate in capacity needed for interesting development sessions. value addition through processing or product diversification?
Do women control the 1 2 2 Marketing and sales have been until now the domain of sales income and the men, considering their connections and network, enterprise? however decisions about incomes are taken by family negotiations and women express their opinions about the matter.
Can the work take place 3 1 3 Usually, the work takes place close to home, since it is a close to home? home-based process, and sometimes the beekeeping, production, and processing take place 3 km away from home.
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TABLE 3. ASSESSMENT OF WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT AND GENDER EQUALITY IN THE HONEY PRODUCTION VALUE CHAIN
QUESTIONS SCORE* WEIGHT TOTAL NARRATIVE
Is this a value chain with 5 1 5 Starting a beekeeping business has low entry barriers. low entry barriers for Start-up costs are relatively low (the price of a beehive is poor entrepreneurs about 40 euro, and prices for processing equipment are (small scale of affordable). production, low start-up costs, not requiring major capital investment, using low-tech skills)?
Is this a value chain with 5 2 10 Some barriers, as described above. low entry barriers for women (time and Also, there are no time constraints, taking care of mobility, access to beekeeping would require 2-3 hours per day, and cultural technology and assets, constraints are not apparent since women are already cultural constraints)? involved in different processes in the value chain.
Does this value chain 3 4 12 Opportunities for women to be involved in the upper offer new opportunities side of the value chain (marketing and sales). for women?
Is the activity in the 4 2 8 This is considered as a sector that generates income and value chain in line with profitable margins. From the possession of 10 hives, there livelihood conditions is a monthly profit of 10,000 ALL and during what is (year-round income, considered as a normal production year, there is an using family labor, rapid annual profit of 100,000 – 120,000 ALL. This amount returns, keeping the exceeds the financial aid amount provided by state environment intact? authorities.
Is there a linkage 3 1 3 Higher involvement of women would improve the overall between what women efficiency of the value chain. are doing and prospects for growth/diversification in the value chain?
Are there gender norms 4 2 8 Some activities in the process are considered as typically (for example stuck in women’s activities, such as processing and packaging, ‘women’s work’) that while others, such as input supply and retail & marketing prevent women from are considered as male processes, due to their taking full advantage of connections and networks. This implies the exclusion of value chain women from these activities, even though they might opportunities? possess the necessary skills to implement the processes.
Overall total for 72/102 gender potential
*Score: 0 (very low, no, not at all) to 5 (very high, yes, very important).
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TABLE 4. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE HONEY VALUE CHAIN
CRITERIA HONEY PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING VALUE CHAIN
Is there a link between what Women’s involvement in the processes of the honey value chain would contribute to the women are doing and prospects processes. Currently, women are engaged in some activities such as harvesting, for growth/ diversification in the processing and packaging and sometimes they lack the necessary skills. Learning the skills value chain? and being involved in all the processes would serve the purpose of empowering them and adding value to the VC. Also, women would benefit from the creation of the Women’s Beekeepers Association, increasing the quality of their social and professional life.
Do women have (or can they Women often perform activities that men do not have time to perform. Their effectivity acquire) the skills needed for is low, considering that some lack the proper skills (Int. 6). value addition through processing or product Farmers (producers) are not aware of standards and quality assurance processes (Int. 7). diversification?
Does this value chain offer new Women are mainly involved in the processes of beekeeping, harvesting, processing, and opportunities for women? packaging. Higher inclusion of women in the process means changing the area’s mentality, considering the low emancipation it has (Int. 3).
Can the chain improve Yes. This is considered as a business with good profit margins (Int. 1; 2). livelihood conditions for women/families? A producer that owns 10 beehives generates a monthly profit of nearly 10,000 ALL in a normal production year, and generates almost 100,000 – 120,000 ALL annually, which is higher than the economic aid provided (Int. 7).
Is there a motivated Yes, until now producers have had the support of the World Vision organization, organization in the value chain supplying them with: that can support/represent value chain actors that can (i) the necessary materials, assets, and equipment: Hives, materials and technology move forward development? equipment, experience exchange, testing of the bee’s health conditions; (ii) Technical trainings for beekeepers with methods of bee treatment in different seasons; (iii) Organization of two local bees’ associations; (iv) Organization and development of “Honey Fest Librazhd”. (Int. 5; 6; 8).
Is there an opportunity to make There is an opportunity to support the producers with materials and equipment, assist changes with small investments? them during their activities’ implementation, provide training sessions and capacity building and promote them.
TABLE 5. SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE HONEY PRODUCTION VALUE CHAIN
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
▪ Existence of beekeepers’ association ▪ Lack of work materials and equipment, necessary for production; ▪ Willingness to participate in trainings; ▪ Existence of technical skills gap, to complete all the ▪ Willingness of the primary VC actors to expand their processes; beekeeping activity; ▪ Poor extension services in both quantity and quality;
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TABLE 5. SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE HONEY PRODUCTION VALUE CHAIN
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES ▪ Income generation and a decent profit margin from ▪ Lack of automated technology; this value chain; ▪ Lack of quality standards certification; ▪ Engagement of women in the entire process and a ▪ raised awareness of her contribution. Informal operation in the market (not registered businesses). ▪ Possibilities to create interconnected value chains ▪ (agritourism); Poor vertical and horizontal cooperation creating many inefficiencies along the VC. ▪ Information asymmetries regarding market developments; ▪ Lack of financial resources and little access to financing opportunities (high-interest rates) due to a high degree of informality; ▪ Lack of promotion and marketing strategies (regional branding)
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
▪ Wide diversity of flowers and natural resources; ▪ Unfair competition (low-quality products in the market); ▪ Assistance from NGOs and organizations with ▪ The production depends on climatic conditions; materials, assets, equipment and trainings and ▪ seminars; Usage of inappropriate and not-bee-friendly pesticides; ▪ ▪ Organization of honey festivals and fairs (“Honey Fest Lack of a stable market and access to the desired market. Librazhd”). ▪ Pressure from international competition (imports at ▪ Increasingly higher availability of grant funds and direct lower prices). subsidies schemes, although many agribusinesses are not eligible because of a high level of informality ▪ Inclusion of Stëblevë and Dardhë villages in the “100 villages” program will enable infrastructure investments and support agritourism initiatives;
▪ Increased focus of donors in Librazhd Area (IPA) BEEHIVES IN LIBRAZHD. SARAH KEESE FOR USAID.
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MAP OF HONEY VALUE CHAIN (HVC) In the diagram below is presented the comprehensive Map of the Honey Value Chain (HVC) based on the ToP as well as the subsequent fieldwork and consultations with experts. The mapping represents the key stakeholders, product flow from inputs to the final market and helps identify gaps or bottlenecks in the production flow. The numbers represent the share of efforts per each stage as well as costs.
Figure 3. Mapping of the Honey Production Value Chain
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD | 17
VALUE CHAIN ACTORS Regarding the honey producers, there are 364,000 beehives in Albania spread in 11,700 bee-farms with an average of 30-32 beehives per farm, while in Librazhd, there are almost 180 beekeeping farms, and based on the above data, they own almost 6,000 beehives in total, which produce 8-10 kg of honey per season (2-3 seasons). Honey producers are mostly not registered as businesses and by doing so they lose the chance to sell their product to the internal market. The largest exporting company “Morava”, which also collects and packages honey, exports up to 40 tons annually, and still works under its possible capacity (using only 10 percent of its capacity so far). There is no honey exported by Librazhd producers, due to lack of capacities, lack of market information, lack of certifications, etc. Customers are mainly locals, small families or individuals who consume honey for their family and buy mostly for friends and their inner circle of connections. Honey consumption in Albania is considered as low, with only 0.8-0.9 kg per capita annually, while the region consumption is higher (it goes up to 2-3 kg per capita annually). Sometimes customers live in other cities of Albania, but they order honey from Librazhd producers, considering their established trust relationship with the producer. There are 4 input suppliers in the Municipality of Librazhd. Pharmacists can have a greater role in the value chain by counseling beekeepers on the best practices and the right inputs and medicines to use, which will benefit them at the end. Increasing the capacities of pharmacists can have a positive long-lasting effect on improving information-sharing along the value chain. Regarding the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), under the IPARD II program (Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Rural Development program), there are several grants available for beekeepers since the program is supporting the honey value chain in production, processing, and marketing. Eligible investments include re/construction of facilities for production and processing of honey and purchase of specialized machinery and equipment for production, processing and post-harvest handling of honey. More specifically: • Hives, hive tools, protective gear, smoker and other equipment for honey production, and bee- breeding equipment; • Sheds and equipment for extraction and storage of honey and bee products, and equipment related to production; • Lab equipment; • Equipment for the production and preparation of supplemental feeding to bees; • Fences around the apiary/farm. Support intensity amounts to 65 percent of the investment, which ranges from 10,000 to 400,000 Euro. Informality and property issues are preventing Librazhd beekeepers to benefit from this type of investment. The important governing and regulatory issues and actors are the Municipality of Librazhd and the Ministry of Agriculture, with the following structures: • Agriculture and Rural Development Agency • Agriculture Development Directorate – Elbasan • AgroPika – Librazhd (Responsible to support farms in submitting subsidy applications) • Regional Office of National Food Authority – Elbasan (Run the inspection through the whole district including Librazhd). • Public Health Institute – Food Safety Department National Food Authority (NFA) is a government agency, subordinated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and is the competent authority with national management inspection functions in
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the field of security and consumer protection, plants and animal protection. NFA executes the interventions based on Law No.10 433, date 16.6.2011 for “Inspection in the Republic of Albania”, Article 7 ‘Principles of inspection program’. Timing of inspection is defined in the Annual Inspection program; however random inspections are possible when foreseen by law. Article 4 in the same law gives the purpose of the inspection, specifically: (i) assessment of compliance with legal requirements; (ii) documentation of good practices in respecting legal requirements; (iii) advising the inspected subject for the correct implementation of legal requirements; (iv) ordering the correction of legal requirements violations and eliminating the consequences arising from them; and (v) giving sentences and taking other administrative measures to avoid the risks that may be caused to the public interest. Based on Article 26 ‘the annual inspection time’, the maximum permissible annual inspection period is from 5 to 15 days and there is no fee for the inspection. The inspected business/farm should provide the necessary evidence and information asked by the inspecting authority. Usually, inspections are programed and based on the annual inspection program, but random inspections are possible. The closest examiner is the Regional Office of National Food Authority in Elbasan, which performs the inspection based on the Annual Inspection Program, provided by NFA headquarters in Tirana. Regarding Tax Authority regulations, and the interaction of honey producers with this institution, if the honey value chain would become formal in Librazhd, i.e. by obtaining a Farmer NIPT/code, producers would have to pay the social insurance contributions (50-60 euro per month, based on the minimum salary). Profit tax is 0 for turnover up to 5 million ALL or about 40,000 Euro VAT is not applied for turnover up to 2 million ALL or about 16,000 Euro. However, VAT is refundable for farmers is they sell to registered businesses subject to VAT. Regarding the Albanian Beekeepers Association and data obtained, about 29,664 kg of honey was exported in 2016 in Serbia, and there is no data for other years. Exports are made by big honey companies such as Morava in Korçë. Lack of international marketing requirements and certifications prevent the honey industry to export regularly. Regarding Certification Boards / Institutions, the basic standards are HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) and Organic Certifications. HACCP is mandatory by law in Albania for every farmer, business or other entity producing food products. Organic is being asked by the markets in urban areas and adds value to the product. Regarding the timeline for certification, HACCP certification requires on average 14-30 days to be obtained, and its process includes these steps: • Field visit by and consultancy company specialized in certification standards which provides recommendations for improvements and adaptions; • Preparation of necessary documentation; • Setting up the record-keeping system; • Inspection by the certification body; • Issuance of the certification.
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Figure 4. HACCP Certification Steps All these steps take 14-30 days, while Organic is a more complex standard which can take 2-3 years. During this period the businesses get an “In process of organic certification” until the final certificate is issued. The main certification body for the Organic standard is AlbInspekt based in Tirana. For HACCP certification there are several certification bodies where ICDQ is one of the leading companies, which is also based in Tirana. HACCP and Organic are provided by private companies and NGOs, while phytosanitary certificate which is required for exports is provided by the national phytosanitary service part of Regional Agriculture Directorate, Elbasan. Regarding Incubators, such as Nucleus Albania and others, the interventions that could complement PLGP are those related to support clusters of women beekeepers and therefore, support group certifications.
RESEARCH FINDINGS & OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN THE SELECTED VC Based on the fieldwork, observations and interviews conducted with the main value chain actors, i.e. the largest honey producer and honey farmer in Librazhd, as well as the interviews conducted with other actors, i.e. supporting functions organizations and market players, the following findings and results are denoted: Regarding THE OPPORTUNITIES that the honey production and processing value chain has to offer, interviewees mentioned/described the following: • Income generation and a decent profit margin from this value chain. If we take into consideration that for example, a producer that owns 10 hives, will have a monthly profit of 10,000 ALL in what is considered a normal year of production, s/he will generate almost 100,000-120,000 ALL/ annually, which is higher than the economic aid provided for individuals. So, being engaged in this type of business allows profit generation and employs people in the area. People would have more opportunities and would be prone to staying in the country. Increased market demand will lead to increased supply (honey production), which in turn will lead to a decrease of honey imports from other countries, thus emphasizing the quality and benefits of the locally produced honey, and honey could reach higher prices in the market.
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• Women’s involvement in the process. This is considered a benefit, because it leads to the improvement of the sharing of household burdens between men and women, contributes to the improvement and increase of women’s wellbeing and empowerment. • Linkages with local tourism. Inviting and involving potential customers in the production process, and allowing them to participate in different processing activities, would contribute to creating trusted relationships between the producer and the client and would also serve as e linking point with local tours in the area. As declared by one of the interviewees, the fact that he has visited and has participated in the production processes himself, assures him about the quality of the product. • Natural resources and contribution to biodiversity. As one of the respondents put it, “If bees become extinct, there will be life left for the planet for only 4 years”. Bees play the main role in the cultivation of crops and wild herbs. 85 percent of cultivation occurs in crops. Bees are the main factor in biodiversity. The area possesses a high variety and diversity of flowers, chestnut, a clean environment, providing opportunities for qualitative and highly curative honey.
Income generation and a decent profit margin from this value chain Women involvement in the process
OPPORTUNITIES
Linkages with local tourism
Natural resources and contribution to biodiversity
Figure 5. Opportunities in the Honey Production Value Chain Regarding THE CONSTRAINTS7 faced in the honey value chain, they can be summarized as follows: • Lack of standards, certifications and relevant legislation. Firstly, there is no hygiene and quality certification from relevant authorities for the products, hence the product can be sold only in-farm and cannot access the desired market. As the interviewees put it, farmers (producers) are not aware of standards and quality assurance processes. They do not know
7 Please note that these represent general constraints and are not specific to the situation of women in the VC. At the same time, a lot of these constraints are directly affected by gender inequality that the VC is experiencing and overcoming these constraints would necessarily affect the women working in the sector as well.
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that using glass jars is more a quality concern than a preference since their main consumers (customers) are small families (who use plastic reused bottles) and also emigrants (who are afraid of glass damage during transportation). Also, one of the producers emphasized the lack of the necessary amount of money to improve their product quality, but the willingness for improvement and to extend the business does exist. Additionally, lack of standards creates a pool of producers who offer the inferior product for less (abusing the process by overfeeding of the bees, using bad medicine, mixing different types of honey, etc.). The collaboration of the producers by using a single branding and group certifications for their product would oblige the producers to comply with the standards and rules. Secondly, the food and packaging standards, necessary for entering the wider markets, are not met. Often the packaging process is carried manually. Finally, Albania is the only country in the region and world that does not have a specific law on beekeeping. Beekeeping is mentioned in specific sections in ‘Law on food’, ‘Law on livestock’, ‘Law on veterinary services’. • Lack of support from state authorities & Lack of proper promotion strategies. There is low subsidization from respective institutions (ARDA/ AZHBR – Agency for Agriculture and Rural Development). The subsidizing is inconsistent (being in different amounts from year to year) and there is not a limit on the number of hives it applies to. For Kosovo, this is 15Eur/bee (limit no. of 30 hives). There are 364,000 bees in 11,700 farms in Albania, with an average of 30-32 bees/farm. The farmers don’t benefit from subsidizing policies.
• Lack of work materials and equipment and their existing state. This constraint was denoted by all the interviewees and the producers themselves. World Vision Organization has contributed to the process by providing the producers with all the necessary materials, assets and equipment. • Inappropriate use of pesticides. Usage of inappropriate and unapproved (not bee-friendly) pesticides. In Europe, producers use pesticides that do not harm the bees and fishes, while in Kosovo, there is a law that forces farmers to notify the area producers in case of pesticide sprayings in advance, so they can take precautions and keep the bees in the hives. The same doesn’t apply in the area. The overall quality of inputs (especially of the medicines used in health treatment) is bad and sometimes individuals who are engaged in bringing new bees into the Municipality of Librazhd do not have veterinary certification.
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• Damage to the Environment. Damage of bees’ environment and habitat deterioration, from wood and pastures’ burning. There is a 35 percent damage caused to bees by this phenomenon, close to the European rate, while in the USA this rate is 37-41 percent, considering that their evaluation system is more accurate. Also, climatic events directly affect the production process. If there are adverse weather conditions, the bees use the honey as a source of feeding, since they cannot produce more.
Lack of standards and certifications Lack of Damage to support the from state Environment authorities
CONSTRAINTS
Lack of work Inappropriate materials use of and pesticides equipment
Figure 6. Constraints of the Honey Production Value Chain Regarding GENDER INEQUALITY ISSUES AND WOMEN INCLUSION in the value chain, almost all the interviewees (main actors and other stakeholders) mentioned the contribution women have and their engagement in almost all the production processes, highlighting the beekeeping, harvesting, processing and packaging activities, while men play a major role in input purchase, harvesting (and bee’s health treatment) and marketing activities. Women are considered as work drivers and often perform activities that men don’t have time to perform, or that cannot perform due to outward migration to neighboring states. Over the years, even though many capacity-building exercises have been conducted, women have managed to gain only limited basic business management skills (e.g. formalization efforts would need to go hand in hand with the improvement of bookkeeping and business management skills). Nevertheless, skill gaps still exist and are significant, especially in the areas such as Bee health, harvesting, marketing, business, pricing, product differentiation, processing quality standards specialized courses as queen rearing, bee pathology, comb foundation, analysis of honey. To improve their skills, they are willing to participate in different trainings and seminars. According to the interviews conducted with the active participants of the Beekeeping Associations, women’s role would be strengthened in the long run if there was a Women’s Regional Beekeeping Association and Women’s Beekeeping Association of the municipality as a partner organization to the existing Regional Beekeepers Association and Beekeepers Association of the municipality. Empowering women and aiming the creation of these associations, would have a social impact on the women’s quality of life. They would interact with each other, exchange experiences & knowledge and would be encouraged to stay and not leave the country (as seen in the recent year’s trend). Considering the low emancipation, a higher inclusion of women in the process means changing the area’s more traditional patriarchal mentality. Moreover, during interviews it became clear that women bee
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farmers had limited knowledge of key business and marketing concepts that would improve their capacity to improve production processes and productivity but also empower them within their families and communities, subtly changing gender-based power balances. Regarding Financing Opportunities, the producers depend on the income generated by the honey trade (retained profit) and do not prefer to enter the process of obtaining credit. Many have ongoing property ownership problems; smaller farms do not require working capital while the bank loans are usually meant for the expansion of activities to reach commercial levels. Other issues include: 1. Lack of collateral: It is easier for men to get access to financing, compared to women, but even they face difficulties since they do not possess the necessary collateral. Besides, women are not employed (officially) in the business; they are just involved in it. By doing so, they do not pay social insurance and are not eligible for loans. 2. High-interest rates: There are very high credit rates (3-20 percent) and if producers (farmers) decide to take loans, they are rarely able to pay it back. The only resources they have are income generated by the business itself. 3. Informality: In Albania, not all producers are registered as businesses and do not benefit from reimbursement policies (In Macedonia for example, there is a 1Eur/kg VAT reimbursement for honey businesses). Furthermore, producers do not possess all information sources and knowledge about accessing funds. Women have decision-making authority in the family concerning financial issues, but only after common consultation with other family members8. Regarding SUPPORTING FUNCTIONS and areas of Intervention, honey producers get very little support from state authorities or other institutions. All the respondents emphasized the need for government subsidies in the sector and addressing specific problems if institutions collaborate. Substantial support was provided by World Vision Organization, not only through materials, assets and necessary equipment but also several seminars, trainings and capacity building programs have taken place, important for ensuring the progress and raising the quality of the activities. Often, as stated by interviewees, institutions lack the necessary capacity for writing projects and providing information on them. Among the main issues mentioned are: • Insufficient extension service in terms of quantity and quality; • Banks and other financial institutions (FIs) not present in the area due to the high informality; • Little focus from the municipality, although being an agriculture-based area, there is no development strategy for agriculture; • Input suppliers are more traders than field specialists; • Lack of capacity building providers in the areas (except for the World Vision organization); • No business development service (BDS) providers in the area. Other major areas that need institutional support and intervention are:
8 The IPARD (Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Rural Development) II financing scheme that will be opened at the end of October 2019 includes Honey in its Measure 7 for “Farm Diversification and Business Development).
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1. Offering subsidizing schemes: State institutions (mainly ARDA – Albanian Rural Development and Agriculture Agency) have the power to increase subsiding schemes, lower the ceiling number of bees that a farmer must poses to benefit from the subsidizing (from 50 to 30). 2. Product certification and Advance in the technology: Investing in technology and moving from manual technology to the automated one, especially during the quality assessment and control activity, sealing activity and labeling, would increase the product’s value and would provide the opportunity for it to enter the national or international market. Also, one of the interviewees mentioned that almost 70 percent of the persons who own bees are not professional beekeepers (so they need training courses). 3. Marketing and promotion: There is little to no marketing and promotion of the product by authorities. Most of the selling process is based purely on the producer’s network, families and relatives, friends and the close circle (farm gate sales). By not achieving the necessary food standards and certification, the product cannot enter the wider market and be promoted properly. The collaboration between producers for the creation of a single brand and the enhancement of the role of the association is fundamental in this step. The opportunities offered, to mention a few, would be: the creation of market linkages between producers themselves and between the producers and the market; provision of trainings and knowledge courses, thus increasing the skills of the people involved in the VC; setting communication bridges between producers and relevant institutions (inter-municipal exchange, for example); creating opportunity for honey tourism, etc. Having the consolidators take a more active role to prove backward chain support (e.g. quality testing) would improve the overall situation and increase the opportunities alongside the whole VC.
FIELD VISITS IN LIBRAZHD. SARAH KEESE FOR USAID.
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ACTION PLAN
SUGGESTED GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD In the following sections are presented some general recommendations about the Honey Production Value Chain for the Municipality of Librazhd: • Provide capacity building trainings for women involved in beekeeping – Handling of beehives; – Feeding of bees; – Learning about location site needs at different times of the year; – Operation and maintenance of machinery; – Food safety and quality certifications; – Packaging, labeling, post-harvest handling; – Product differentiation; – Accessing markets and understanding buyer requirements; – Basic bookkeeping skills; • Promote women-friendly technologies – Consider the opportunity to provide small grants for honey processing facilities and equipment. Also, it is very important to support the increase in the number of hives. Beekeeping farms are willing to expand their activity by increasing the number of hives but don’t have the necessary funds. This is important considering also the revealed undersupply of honey. • Increase the capacities of input suppliers to better serve the honey sector (the right medicine and inputs, their timing of application, etc.). Input suppliers can be important drivers of market development solutions in the honey value chain given their direct benefits. • Improve horizontal collaboration in the value chain by supporting the creation of women associations or clusters in honey production. • Support beekeepers in obtaining the HACCP certification which is the most basic standard in beekeeping, also mandatory by law in Albania. Support group certification (3-4 beekeeping farms) to obtain the Organic certification. • Increase capacities of AgroPika Librazhd to better assist honey producers in getting subsidies from national schemes and share information on IPARD grant schemes. • Incentivize the Municipality of Librazhd to establish an agriculture department and prepare a development strategy for honey production value chain (given its economic importance in the region, and high level of women involvement). • Incentivize and support beekeepers in the formalization process. Formalization would bring subsidies in the region. • Support activities to connect beekeeping farms to urban markets – B2B events with supermarket representatives and traditional organic stores can be an option. • Promote contract farming in the honey value chain. This would increase market access by creating sustainable and secure incomes. Under contract farming, in many cases, buyers provide technical assistance and advances to producers to purchase high-quality inputs on their advice. From this point of view, buyers can be considered potential drivers of market development solutions. • Support organization of the honey festival in the Municipality of Librazhd by inviting representatives of supermarkets and traditional organic stores from Tirana to create linkages in the value chain. These contacts/ linkage with supermarkets can be supported by PLGP for 1 year and continue by the
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municipality and/or other donors/ projects. Promoting success stories from women-led businesses producing honey and other bee products (perhaps this could take place during the Honey Festival and can be in the form of a master class on how to produce bee products: royal jelly, propolis, what to do with wax – making candles). • Supporting efforts to produce cheap packaging materials and hives locally can reduce production costs and increase the competitiveness of beekeeping farms. • Support initiatives for the promotion of interconnected value chains. The development of rural tourism opens a new market window for honey producers. • Support the establishment of a honey collection and distribution center (long term impact, medium to large budget). • Connecting to Honey Trail project to include Librazhd on their apitourism trails http://www.beealbania.org/en/about-us/team/ • Lobbying for the drafting of the Law on Beekeeping that regulates the cultivation, protection, selection, and reproduction of bees; including administrative and legal issues for physical and/or legal persons in the apiculture sector.
TABLE 6. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HONEY PRODUCTION VALUE CHAIN
IMPACT BUDGET NO RECOMMENDATIONS – HONEY PRODUCTION VC Short- Mid- Long- Small Medium Large term term term
TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING 1 ACTIVITIES
Provide technical assistance trainings for women involved in beekeeping: Handling of beehives; Feeding beehives; Movement of beehives; 1.1 Learning about location site needs at different X X times of the year; Packaging, labeling, post- harvest handling; Operation and maintenance of machinery.
Provide capacity building trainings for women involved in beekeeping: Food safety and quality 1.2 certifications; Product differentiation; Accessing X X markets and understanding buyer requirements; Basic bookkeeping skills.
Increase the capacities of input suppliers to better serve the honey sector (the right medicine and inputs, their timing of application, 1.3 etc.). X X Input suppliers can be important drivers of market development solutions in the honey value chain given their direct benefits.
Increase capacities of AgroPika Librazhd to better assist honey producers in getting subsidies 1.4 X X from national schemes and share information on IPARD grant schemes.
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TABLE 6. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HONEY PRODUCTION VALUE CHAIN
IMPACT BUDGET NO RECOMMENDATIONS – HONEY PRODUCTION VC Short- Mid- Long- Small Medium Large term term term
SMALL GRANTS TO PROMOTE 2 WOMEN-FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGIES
Consider the opportunity to provide small 2.1 grants for honey processing facilities and X X equipment.
Support the increase in the number of hives. Beekeeping farms are willing to expand their activity by increasing the number of hives but 2.2 X don’t have the necessary funds. This is important considering also the revealed undersupply of honey
Supporting the efforts to local production of hives and packaging materials can reduce 2.3 X X production costs and increase the competitiveness of beekeeping farms.
QUALITY & SAFETY STANDARD 3 CERTIFICATIONS
Support beekeepers in obtaining the HACCP 3.1 certification which is the most basic standard in X X beekeeping, also mandatory by law in Albania.
Support beekeepers in obtaining organic certification which is very important for adding value to the product and build customer trust. 3.2 X X The advantage of Organic certification in terms of the costs relies on the fact that group certification is possible.
4 MARKETING AND PROMOTION
Support activities to connect beekeeping farms to urban markets – B2B events with 4.1 X X supermarket representatives and traditional organic stores can be an option.
Organize a honey festival in the Municipality of Librazhd by inviting representatives of supermarkets and traditional organic stores to 4.2 create linkages in the value chain. X X This can be supported by PLGP in the first year and continue as a tradition supported by the municipality and/or other donors
4.3 Support initiatives for the promotion of X X interconnected value chains. The development of
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 28
TABLE 6. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HONEY PRODUCTION VALUE CHAIN
IMPACT BUDGET NO RECOMMENDATIONS – HONEY PRODUCTION VC Short- Mid- Long- Small Medium Large term term term rural tourism opens a new market window for honey producers.
Promote contract farming in the honey value chain. This would increase market access by creating sustainable and secure incomes. Under contract farming, in many cases, buyers 4.4 provide technical assistance and advances to X X producers to purchase high-quality inputs on their advice. From this point of view, buyers can be considered potential drivers of market development solutions.
SUPPORT SECTOR FORMALIZATION 5 AND IMPROVE VC COORDINATION
Incentivize and support beekeepers in the 5.1 formalization process. Formalization would bring X subsidies in the region.
Incentivize the Municipality of Librazhd to establish an agriculture department and prepare a development strategy for honey production 5.2 X value chain (given its economic importance in the region, and high level of women involvement).
Improve horizontal collaboration in the value 5.3 chain by supporting the creation of women X associations or clusters in honey producers.
Support the establishment of a collection and 5.4 distribution center for honey in the Municipality X X of Librazhd.
Local Partners/ cooperation: Beekeeping associations on the national, regional and municipal level; municipality. There is a general sense that the honey value chain in Librazhd is well developed although informal. Many of the bigger honey producers have an established client base. Honey producers in Librazhd are willing to join in clusters composed of trusted neighbors/ colleagues (some work has already been done by Nucleus Albania in this regard including with women clusters). The producers lack basic beekeeping activities as well as marketing skills. The producers are very much interested in lobbying for the Law on Beekeeping so it can provide subsidies and regulate bee medication, pesticide use, quality, and safety issues. Business advisory organizations (Nucleus, CBS and others) can work together to help with certifications, formalizations, and access to finance.
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 29
BIBLIOGRAPHY CBS, 2014b. Assessing financial needs of agro-processing industry in Albania. A study prepared for RISI Albania.
CBS, 2017. Research on Agribusiness Potential Entry Points. A study prepared for RISI Albania.
“Chapter 4: Value Chain Mapping Tool” and “Module 11: Sustainable Value Chains” (GIZ)
Territorial Development Strategy – Region of Elbasan.
FAO, 2016a. Family Farming Knowledge Platform/Albania Country Profile. Available at: http://www.fao.org/family-farming/countries/alb/en/. Last accessed, November 21, 2017.
FAO, 2016b. Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development in Albania. Country Gender Assessment Series. Available at: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5413e.pdf. Last accessed, November 21, 2017.
FAO, 2018. Market and Value Chain Analysis of Selected Sectors for Diversification of the Rural Economy and Women's Economic Empowerment. Albania. Available at: http://www.fao.org/3/I8909EN/i8909en.pdf
General Local Plan of the Municipality of Librazhd - Territorial Strategy, created by Municipality of Librazhd, supported by "A&E Engineering" and "COOPROGETI S.C.R.L.", Approved by Decision of Territory National Council No. 10, Date 08/02/2017
Herald, 2011. The importance of contract farming. Features, opinions and analysis. Available at: http://www.herald.co.zw/importance-of-contract-farming. Last accesses, November 22, 2017.
MARDWA and FAO, 2013. Inter-sectorial Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development 2014-2020. Funded by the European Union and facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN through the project GCP/ALB/014/EC IPA 2009.
MARDWA, 2015. The Rural Development Program 2014-2020. Under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance IPA. Prepared with the support of EU commission.
Municipality Profile – Librazhd. PLGP Albania project.
Schneemann, J., & Vredeveld, T. (2015). Guidelines for value chain selection: Integrating economic, environmental, social and institutional criteria. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Southeast European Center for Economic Development (SECED), 2014. Gender sensitivity regarding Agro-processors needs for Advocacy. A study prepared for RISI Albania.
The Government of Albania, 2016. The national strategy and action plan on gender equality 2016-2020, Tirana: The Government of Albania.
UNDP, 2016. National Study on Rural Labor Market. Addressing Social Inclusion through Vocational Education and Training.
UN Women, 2016. "National study on Economic Diversification for Women Living in Albanian Rural Areas".
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 30
Zhllima, Edvin et al., 2016. National study: economic diversification for women living in Albanian rural areas, Tirana: UN Women.
Data sources: INSTAT (www.instat.gov.al) Data from municipal plans/ reports.
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 31
ANNEXES
LIST OF SURVEYS Below are listed the main actors / representatives with whom interviews were conducted and questionnaires were filled:
• Largest honey producers in Librazhd; • Customers of Honey producers in Librazhd; • Input supplier (labeling company); • Regional Beekeeping Association; • Federation of Beekeepers; • Representatives from the Municipality of Librazhd; • Representatives from NGOs and Supporting Organizations. The transcripts of the interviews and questionnaires are attached.
WOMEN HARVESTING BEEHIVES DURING FIELD VISITS IN LIBRAZHD. SARAH KEESE FOR USAID.
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 32
FIELD VISIT: HONEY FARMER (13.07.19)
TABLE 2: VALUE CHAIN ACTOR QUESTION (SITUATION FOR MEN AND WOMEN) ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR FEMALE HONEY PRODUCER - MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD Value Chain Honey. Considerable market demand with possible undersupply.
Value chain actor Honey production and processing. Farm gate sales, Substantial income on top of remittances
Remittances are the main source of income. Honey income is complementary.
Value chain level (market actor, value chain Key actor. Controls all stages in the value chain except inputs. actor, value chain supporter)
Type of actor (Farmer, buyer, processor, Farmer, processor and farm gate sales. Small farm (9 hives) rural location 1-2 km off paved road. technology, inputs of any kind)
Category of actor (Allies/Enabler/Blockers or Enabler. Open to increased production but limited knowledge of market Neutral) development possibilities.
Actor owned/controlled by men or women? Hives 100 percent controlled and owned by women. Land Household relations indicate no restrictions on women’s use of land. owned by husband.
What activities do the actors perform? Women carry out all tasks (mother, daughters in law). Buying inputs, bee health, production, harvesting, processing, packing, selling.
They are engaged 30 percent of their daily time in this process. They spend almost 10 hours per day in beekeeping.
Who is responsible for which activity? Women: beekeeping, harvesting, processing, packaging Roles have Hive health if needed is supported by male relative. and marketing. She controls the harvesting process, while the daughter in law is Men: transport. engaged in the processing activities. There is one son engaged in the process (after school), and the other two sons are in emigration.
What do the men and women gain from the Income from honey production used by family. 10-15 euro per kilo. 20 kilo per hive per year (2 harvests). activity? 2,000-3,000 Euro per annum. Small quantities kept for family consumption
Matriarch in the main controls the income from hives. But decisions made in family negotiation.
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TABLE 2: VALUE CHAIN ACTOR QUESTION (SITUATION FOR MEN AND WOMEN) ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR FEMALE HONEY PRODUCER - MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD Cost structure of production 40 percent profit margin. 70- 80 percent of value created by farmer directly
60 percent cost, where the price of 1 jar is 50 ALL.
Jars are bought in Librazhd. The difference of plastic and glass jars is insignificant, and that's why they prefer using glass jars.
Are women’s roles changing? Why? Yes. Women responsible for all processes due to outward migration of male members of the family to Italy. In other cases, men responsible at beginning and end of value chains.
How close is the place of work from their Home based production and processing. household?
What are the wider roles of men and women Women have multiple roles. Women time poor, especially in harvesting times. Roles include caring as productive role? Reproductive role? And roles, farming roles, family and community responsibilities. community role?
What are the skills levels of the workers High level of beekeeping skills in general. Skills gaps exist. Bee health, harvesting, marketing, business, pricing, (men and women)? product differentiation, processing quality standards specialized courses as Queen rearing, Bee pathology, Comb foundation, Analysis of honey.
Number of hired workers men/women None. All the processes are executed by family members.
If the number of hives increases, they would engage more family members in the process, and would increase the time spent for the activities (would not employ another person outside the family).
Is there vulnerable employment? No.
Number of hidden/informal workers None. men/women
Do the women in the value chain have Yes, Women make decisions about money, but only after Depend on men for transport. Thus, all honey sold at farm gate. Agency? a common discussion with other family members.
Measure of good impact in your business Priority for women. 10 more hives (i.e. 100 percent Considered a family priority. They plan to have 20-30 beehives. (profit, living, turnover, more control) or increase in income). what is your perception of change/impact?
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 34
TABLE 2: VALUE CHAIN ACTOR QUESTION (SITUATION FOR MEN AND WOMEN) ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR FEMALE HONEY PRODUCER - MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD Who determines the price, and do you have Price takers not price makers. Waits before she goes to market to see what price the market is paying. any influence on price? Hesitant to ask higher price, concerned about reputation.
Are there training needs in the value chain Yes. Skills gaps exist. Bee health, harvesting, marketing, business, pricing, (focus on women)? product differentiation, processing quality standards specialized courses as Queen rearing, Bee pathology, Comb foundation, Analysis of honey.
Harvesting is a time-consuming process.
Do women have access to land, water, and Yes. Technology could be improved in processing. Both Did not see processing area, but in kitchen. Possible opportunities for technology? processes (centrifugation and filtering) are controlled by improve due to increase in hives. women.
Do women have access to BDS? Limited via World Vision only. Municipality and central There is an demand for BDS, Especially for experts. Government do not provide support.
Where and when is finance accessed in the No finance accessed. Donation from world vision of hives Would not take finance. Would use retained profits. value chain and for what purposes? and inputs.
How is technology used in the value chain? Modern hives, and processing. Processing techniques.
What are the opportunities in the value Growing demand for honey, market development by WV. Honey trail tourism? http://www.beealbania.org/en/category/albania/. chain? Good profit margin.
Missing ops for more lucrative markets where ‘raw’ natural honey could reach higher price?
Linkages into tourism tours.
What are the constraints/bottlenecks in the Product has no hygiene certification. Cannot sell beyond farm gate to receive better price. value chain? Farms not formalized, missing opportunities for support? They don't have certification at all (quality certification, etc.)
* Especially in the harvesting process, since it's time- She is aware that the certification would add value to the product (or consuming (and men are needed in the process). process), but doesn't know how to get it.
** They have no information about the bookkeeping process, or accounting information at all.
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 35
TABLE 2: VALUE CHAIN ACTOR QUESTION (SITUATION FOR MEN AND WOMEN) ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR FEMALE HONEY PRODUCER - MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD *** They have never been visited by an expert. I say better price but in reality we have not spoken to customers yet so it’s hard to say if retailers would squeeze on price if that was considered an upgrading strategy.
Are there structural factors in the community Rural location control over transport. Distance from other farmers, support, centralized services. that would limit or influence the opportunities women in the value chain have?
What is the cause of the constraint? To a certain extent knowledge and skills. But in the main All honey sold at farm gate no motivation to ‘go to market’. an awareness of modern market requirements. Convenience of home work.
Is there an opportunity for value chain actors Yes, downstream to upstream opportunity. Input suppliers and opportunities to offer technical advice. However, to be the driver of a market development home production engagement with other actors limited. solution? Input suppliers play the role of experts, and they could build a strong relationship with the farmers.
Do they cooperate with other value chain Cooperation limited. There is opportunity to connect farmers. actors? Is there opportunity? Information is shared between farmers with WV support.
Is climate change, environmental degradation Not mentioned by farmer. WV suggests impacts of pollution, climate change, pesticides. impacting on the actor?
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 36
FIELD VISIT: LARGEST HONEY PRODUCER (13.07.19)
TABLE 2: VALUE CHAIN ACTOR
QUESTION (SITUATION FOR MEN AND ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR WOMEN) FEMALE HONEY PRODUCER - MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD Value Chain Honey. Considerable market demand with possible undersupply.
Value chain actor Honey production and processing. Phone call sales, fairs, transporting to clients.
Value chain level (market actor, value chain Key actor + Downstream. Controls all stages in the value chain except inputs. actor, value chain supporter)
Type of actor (Farmer, buyer, processor, Farmer and processor. Big farm (150 hives) rural location 8 km off paved road. technology, inputs of any kind)
Category of actor (Allies/Enabler/Blockers or Enabler. Opened to market development but limited knowledge on how to Neutral) achieve it.
Actor owned/controlled by men or women? 100 percent owned by men, but also women are Household relations indicate no restrictions on women’s contribution to important contributors in this value chain. honey value chain – women are heavily involved including by pushing the men to improve production facilities.
What activities do the actors perform? Buying inputs, bee health, harvesting, processing, packing, Both, men and women are involved. hygiene, selling.
Who is responsible for which activity? Women: beekeeping, harvesting, processing, packaging Women are mostly involved in packaging, processing, men are more and gatherers and sellers.
Men: buying inputs, harvesting, and marketing
What do the men and women gain from the Few casual workers: Men= 1000 ALL per day. They provide to their employees lunch and water during working hours. activity?
Cost structure of production $ 5000 per year, from which: 100 percent of value created by farmer directly.
- $ 2500 food and medicines
- $ 500 labor
- $ 1000 maintenance
- $ 1000 transport
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 37
TABLE 2: VALUE CHAIN ACTOR QUESTION (SITUATION FOR MEN AND WOMEN) ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR FEMALE HONEY PRODUCER - MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD Are women’s roles changing? Why? No. Women have always been involved in everything in this family, but however in the overall value chain they are more and more participating in different sectors.
How close is the place of work from their The beekeeping place, production and processing building Beehives do not move around – they always stay in the same place up in household? are situated 3 km far away from home. the mountain – about 10 km off the main road. They informally rent a place from the owner of the property – that is a problem since they can be kicked out at any point.
What are the wider roles of men and women as Women have multiple roles. They heavily participate in every task. productive role? Reproductive role? And community role?
What are the skills levels of the workers (men High level of traditional farming and honey production Skills gap exist, but there are willing to participate in different trainings and women)? skills. to improve their skills. The owner has participated in every training offered by various projects/ initiatives/ NGOs in the last decade.
Number of hired workers men/women Men: 2 Women: 2 Family members.
Is there vulnerable employment? Yes. Illegal workers and illegal seasonal workers.
Number of hidden/informal workers Women:1 Men:1 & Seasonal workers. They are family members, but not registered as law requires. men/women
Do the women in the value chain have Agency? Yes. Women do have value and influence in decision making at least to the limited extent that the decision-making go, especially when it comes to packaging.
Measure of good impact in your business (profit, -packaging -labeling -certification - machineries To improve the quality of the end product in order to reach the desired living, turnover, more control) or what is your market. The desired market is Tirana and/ or tourists perception of change/impact?
Who determines the price, and do you have any Influenced by the market. They go with the usual price in the market, 1500 ALL per kg. And when influence on price? people buy in big quantities, they take it down to 1300 ALL.
Are there training needs in the value chain Yes. Skills gaps exist, and they consider knowledge as wealth. (focus on women)?
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 38
TABLE 2: VALUE CHAIN ACTOR QUESTION (SITUATION FOR MEN AND WOMEN) ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR FEMALE HONEY PRODUCER - MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD Do women have access to land, water, and Yes. Technology could be improved in processing. Processing is done in the shed next to the beehives, some hygiene technology? requirements are met. The area is not specialized for processing.
Do women have access to BDS? Not really, via World Vision only. There is a demand for BDS.
Where and when is finance accessed in the value No insurance; 2-3 times per year and it last only for 3 They use retained profits and only during harvesting time. chain and for what purposes? days.
How is technology used in the value chain? Mainly traditional, manual centrifuge. Processing techniques.
What are the opportunities in the value chain? Decent profit margin. Wax recycled to fix existing honeycomb frames,
Regional origin certification. Use of gas for melting of wax.
Improving sharing of household burdens between men and women.
Local tourism, export and demand from urban centers.
What are the constraints/bottlenecks in the Product has no hygiene certification. Quality. Cannot access the desired market. value chain? Market information and marketing to different outputs.
Meeting food and packaging standards for wider markets.
Are there structural factors in the community Rural location control over transport. Distance from other farmers, support, centralized services. that would limit or influence the opportunities women in the value chain have?
What is the cause of the constraint? Location and lack of financing sources. Do not have the necessary amount of money to improve their product quality, but the willingness for improvement and to extend the business does exist.
Is there an opportunity for value chain actors to Yes, they do see cooperation as a good opportunity to Lack of funding; lack of knowledge of accessing funds (e.g. national be the driver of a market development solution? reach their inner goals. support schemes).
Do they cooperate with other value chain No. They would like to cooperate, but because of the infrastructure it is actors? Is there opportunity? difficult. Honey producers are located far away from each other.
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TABLE 2: VALUE CHAIN ACTOR QUESTION (SITUATION FOR MEN AND WOMEN) ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR FEMALE HONEY PRODUCER - MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD Is climate change, environmental degradation No understanding of environmental impact. No understanding of environmental impact. impacting on the actor?
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 40
PHONE INTERVIEW: CONSUMER 1 (15.07.19)
TABLE 4: VALUE CHAIN MARKET PLAYER QUESTION ACTORS NARRATIVE ON ACTORS Who did we speak to? Clients (consumers, buyers), Has been buying for more than 5 years (up to 15 kg, in both seasons: September/October & knows the value chain well. summer) for the family, for the in-laws (5kg), for the friends (15 kg), for her relatives (15 kg). Up Have had interactions with the to 80 kg. Highly recommends the product, considering also its multiple use (health, beauty, etc.) producer for a long time. Comes from the same area. Works for Consumer Protection Department at Municipality of Vlore (south of Albania). What roles do they play? Important role in information, They define the demand, Informal network is very important, they influence other buyers’ retail. behaviors. From their perspective the constraints in the value Market difficulties. There are other competitors who offer the same product even cheaper (in Llogara for example), chain and sometimes Supply exceeds Demand. From their perspective opportunities in the value Promotion strategies. There should be more marketing and promotion activities for the product, even by choosing means chain such as TVs and show appearance (in Klan/T.ch. TV channels, cooking shows, etc.). Support from institutions. Who are the supporters in the value chain who Low level of support. Agency of Consumer Protection should conduct product tests, in order to certify the quality and provide services, what services, women specific? then use more strategies to promote them. Skills training, marketing etc. Another way of institutional support is by investing in the technology and moving from manual processes to automated ones. The labeling and sealing should be automated and then the product could go to the market (to be promoted). There should be subsidies by the government. What are the skill challenges in the value chain Technology related skills. The process should move from manual to automated one. Jar sealing and labeling should be (focus on women)? Marketing skills. automated. Women are more involved in the jar washing process and also in the retail: selling activity. Higher inclusion of women in the process means changing the area’s mentality, considering the low emancipation. The product should be promoted professionally by TV shows. Are there any other support programmes for the Trainings and seminars. Several trainings have taken place in the past. There is also the support from World Vision with value chain? materials. Is there an opportunity for market players to be Low possibility. They define the demand. The consumer evaluates competition and then makes the decision. They the driver of a market development solution? use the traditional testing processes, not the quality assurance processes. How vulnerable is the value chain to climatic Climatic events affect the plant events (drought, climate change)? growth.
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 41
PHONE INTERVIEW: CONSUMER 2 (15.07.19)
TABLE 4: VALUE CHAIN MARKET PLAYER QUESTION ACTORS NARRATIVE ON ACTORS Who did we speak to? Clients (consumers, buyers); Has been buying for years. Buys from 60-70 kg to up to 200 kg. He uses half of the quantity for The consumer lives in Kavaja. personal use, and half he sells to his relatives and friends. Highly recommends the product, he has He knows the producer and visited the area where processing takes place and has tested it in the first years. has been collaborating with him for a long time. What roles do they play? Important role in information, They define the demand, Informal network is very important, they influence other buyers’ retail. behaviors. From their perspective the constraints in the No constraints. There are no constraints in the VC. He is very pleased with the production process and the value chain products. From their perspective opportunities in the value Women involvement; Women involvement is considered positive, considering that the producer’s family is engaged in chain the process. The fact that he has visited and has participated in the production processes himself, Tourism. assures him about the quality of the product. Also he has tested the product on his own in the lab the past to verify the quality (in year 1 when he purchased it). Who are the supporters in the value chain who N/A He deals with the producer mainly not with other actors. provide services, what services, women specific? Skills training, marketing etc. What are the skill challenges in the value chain Producer uses plastic jars. The producer uses glass jars when he sells to this consumer because the consumer thinks that using (focus on women)? plastic ones instead, would result in lowering the quality of the product. Are there any other support programmes for the N/A The consumer had no information about this part. value chain? Is there an opportunity for market players to be Low possibility. They define the demand. The consumer evaluates competition and then makes the decision. They the driver of a market development solution? use the traditional testing processes, not the quality assurance processes. Food quality is the most important part that needs to be certified properly. How vulnerable is the value chain to climatic N/A events (drought, climate change)?
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 42
PHONE INTERVIEW: LABELING COMPANY – INPUT PROVIDER (15.07.19)
TABLE 3: VALUE CHAIN SUPPORTING FUNCTIONS QUESTION ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR Who did we speak to? The labeling company. It is a small labeling business in the area, which covers all the area of Librazhd, including the administrative units and villages. It is the only labeling point in that area. Who are the key supporting functions? Labeling processes. The business is engaged during the labeling process in the logo design. The producer has his own suggestions and ideas and actively participates in the process. Sometimes women (the producer’s family) are involved in the process, contributing to the logo design. He produces labeling materials for up to 500-600 jars (500 kg-600 kg), for 2-3 times per year. He also produces labeling materials and distributes (operates) in the area of Pogradec. What do they see are the constraints in the value Materials and equipment. Sometimes producers lack working materials and equipment, necessary for production. chain? What do they see are the opportunities in the value Women involvement in the Women are involved in the production activities, which contributes to the process improvement. chain? process. Who are the supporters in the value chain who NGOs and their staff World Vision has contributed to the production process, supplying the producers with materials provide services, what services, women specific, supporting the production (2 hives), assets and equipment, as well as assistance. which parts of the chain? process. It has conducted different seminars and its staff (coordinator) has always been available for support. What are the skill challenges in the value chain N/A The interviewee did not mention skills’ challenges. (focus on women)? Are there business development services available? They support both women and men. Any focus on women? Are there any other support programmes for the Yes, initiatives. WV has contributed with materials and assistance. value chain? How vulnerable is the value chain to climatic events N/A (drought, climate change)? Where and when is finance accessed in the value Difficulties in getting financing. The producers have little access to financing opportunities. They prefer borrowing from relatives chain and for what purposes? Can women access it? and family. It is easier for men to get access, compared to women, but even they face difficulties, since they do not poses the necessary collateral. In addition, women are not employed (officially) in the business; they are just involved in it. By doing so, they do not pay social insurance and are not eligible for crediting, because lack collateral. Is there an awareness of gender issues in the value Yes Men are mainly involved in the supplying process and in the bees’ health treatment, while women chain (observation)? are mainly involved in the harvesting and processing activities. What are the different levels of power and influence N/A The interviewee did not mention these levels. in the value chain? What are positive impacts within their sphere of Production process. Assistance provided to producers and facilitation of the production process. influence? Is there an opportunity for supporting functions to Yes. Women collaborate and contribute to the logo creation and give suggestions for its improvement. be the driver of a market development solution? Do they cooperate with other value chain actors? Is Yes. They cooperate also with producers outside Librazhd, in the Pogradec area. there opportunity?
GENDER-SENSITIVE VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LIBRAZHD 43
PHONE INTERVIEW: BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION OF ELBASAN (16.07.2019)
TABLE 3: VALUE CHAIN SUPPORTING FUNCTIONS QUESTION ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR Who did we speak to? Beekeepers Association of Head of Beekeepers Association of Elbasan Prefecture. He owns a honey magazine, selling honey Elbasan Prefecture. and its products (bee materials). He owns 200-500 hives (currently 460). There are 2 women employed in the business. What do they see are the constraints in the value 1. Producer’s investment 1. Producers lack financial resources to invest in the production process. chain? 2. Bee materials and equipment 2. Producers lack materials and equipment necessary to complete all the processes. 3. Dedication 3. Sometimes the producers lack dedication to follow the entire production process. 4. Climatic effects 4. If climatic events are not appropriate, there will be decrease in the production. What do they see are the opportunities in the value Economic wellbeing. Increase in the wellbeing of the producers and also of the citizens. chain/ The increase of production will lead to decrease of honey imports and focus on the internal supply. Who are the supporters in the value chain who Low support from institutions. There is low support from the institutions and producers need more input. Also, almost 70 provide services, what services, women specific, percent of the persons who own bees, are not professional beekeepers (so they need training which parts of the chain? courses). What are the skill challenges in the value chain Training needed. 5 percent of women are engaged in the production and treatment process, in all the phases. They (focus on women)? often perform activities that men don’t have time to perform. Their effectivity is low, considering that some lack the proper skills. Are there business development services available? Input supply and trainings. World Vision has supported many producers in Librazhd, providing them and supplying with: Any focus on women? beehives, centrifuges, trainings, etc. Are there any other support programmes for the World Vision & Italian projects Besides the support of World Vision (with beehives, technical equipment and seminars), producers value chain? have also contributed in the in North of Albania also got support from an Italian project. North of Albania. How vulnerable is the value chain to climatic events High impact. Climatic events directly affect the production process. If the weather is not good, the bees use (drought, climate change)? the honey as a source of feeding, since they cannot produce more. Where and when is finance accessed in the value Low access. One beehive costs 20,000 ALL, and the institutions responsible for agriculture sector have so far chain and for what purposes? Can women access it? not supported Albanian businesses. There are very high credit rates (3-20 percent) and if producers (farmers) decide to take loans, they will not be able to pay it back. The only resources they have are income generated by the business itself. Is there an awareness of gender issues in the value Yes. They are aware that women contribute to the entire process, especially for activities that men do chain (observation)? not have time to perform. They are considered as work drivers. His daughter was also engaged in the logo production. What are the different levels of power and influence The problem relies on the supply and not the selling process. There is unfair competition. in the value chain? What are positive impacts within their sphere of High impact. If there is a collaboration between the Directorate of Agriculture in the MARD and Association influence? of Beekeepers, many problems can be addressed. Do they cooperate with other value chain actors? Is Yes. Especially if they are organized in associations, but also there are work groups and they help each there opportunity? other in the production process.
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PHONE INTERVIEW: BEEKEEPERS FEDERATION (16.07.2019)
TABLE 3: VALUE CHAIN SUPPORTING FUNCTIONS QUESTION ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR Who did we speak to? Beekeepers Federation. Head of Beekeepers Federation, specialized in beekeeping. Holds a master degree and a PhD in Beekeeping. Also, lecturer at Agricultural University of Tirana and involved in trainings as an expert. Owns 120 beehives. Who are the key supporting functions? Federation. What do they see are the constraints in the value 1. Damage of bees’ environment; 1. Damage of bees’ environment and habitat deterioration, from wood and pastures’ chain? 2. Inappropriate use of pesticides; burning. There is 35 percent damage caused to bees by this phenomenon, close to the 3. Low subsidizing from institutions; European rate, while in USA this rate is 37-41 percent, considering that their evaluation 4. Non-existence of a beekeeping law. system is more accurate. 2. Usage of inappropriate and unapproved (not bee-friendly) pesticides. In Europe they use pesticides that do not harm the bees and fishes, while in Kosovo, there is a law that forces farmers to notify the area producers in case of plant sprouts in advance, so they can take precautions and keep the bees in the hives. 3. There is low subsidizing from respective institutions (AARD – Agency for Agriculture and Rural Development). The subsidizing is inconsistent (being in different amounts from year to year) and there is not a limit on the number of hives it applies to. For Kosovo this is 15Eur/bee (limit no. of 30 hives). There are 364,000 beehives in 11,700 farms in Albania, with an average of 30-32 beehives/farm. The farmers don’t benefit from subsidizing policies. 4. Inexistence of Law on beekeeping. Albania is the only country in the region and world that does not have a specific law on beekeeping. Beekeeping is mentioned in specific sections in ‘Law on food’, ‘Law on livestock’, ‘Law on veterinary services’. What do they see are the opportunities in the 1. Cultivation of agricultural crops; 1. “If bees go extinct, there will be life for only 4 years”. value chain? 2. Income generation. Bees play the main role in cultivation of agricultural crops and wild herbs. 85 percent of cultivation occurs in agricultural crops. Bees are the main factor of biodiversity. 2. This is a business that generates income. From 10 bees, there is a profit of 10,000 ALL/month in a normal year, and almost 100,000-120,000 ALL/ annually, which is higher than the economic aid provided. So, being engaged in this type of business gives opportunity of profit generation as well as employment. Who are the supporters in the value chain who Embassy and foreign institutions. There have been implemented projects from institutions such as embassies and foreign provide services, what services, women specific, ones, over these years. which parts of the chain? There is a lack of support from Albanian public institutions. Institutions lack the capacity of writing projects and providing information on them. The main focus should be on Marketing strategies and promotion. What are the skill challenges in the value chain Standards. Farmers (producers) are not aware of standards and quality assurance processes. They do (focus on women)? not know that using glass jars is more a quality concern than a preference, since their main consumers (customers) are small families (who use plastic reused bottles) and also emigrants (who are afraid of glass damage during transportation). Are there business development services available? Yes. Currently there is the Regional Beekeepers Association and Beekeepers Association of the Any focus on women? municipality. Empowering women and aiming the creation of Women’s Regional Beekeeping
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TABLE 3: VALUE CHAIN SUPPORTING FUNCTIONS QUESTION ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR Association and Women’s Beekeeping Association of the municipality as well, would have a social impact on the women’s quality of life. They would interact with each other, exchange experiences & knowledge and would be encouraged to stay and not leave the country (as seen in the recent year’s trend). Are there any other support programmes for the Yes. There have been many projects/programs in the past. value chain? How vulnerable is the value chain to climatic High impact. Change in the climatic events directly influences the bees and the honey production. events (drought, climate change)? Where and when is finance accessed in the value In Albania, not all producers are registered as businesses and do not benefit from chain and for what purposes? Can women access reimbursement policies (Macedonia: 1Eur/kg honey reimbursement for businesses). it? Is there an awareness of gender issues in the value Yes. Women are involved in the family business, and daughters as well. Recently his daughter chain (observation)? participated in different international competitions in Europe and was ranked third in Praga and in France. Women should be encouraged to not leave the country. They should be offered training and professional seminars, in order to increase employability. What are the different levels of power and High influence. State institutions have the power to increase subsiding schemes, lower the ceiling number influence in the value chain? of bees that a farmer must poses in order to benefit from the subsidizing (from 50 to 30), approve the Law on beekeeping, and amend some parts of existing legislation regarding honey trade. What are positive impacts within their sphere of Social and economic impacts. Besides the things mentioned above, under the current legislation, a business is allowed to influence? buy up to 10kg of honey (up to 15,000 ALL), confirmed with the invoice. In order to get tax reimbursement, most individuals must be registered as businesses (with a valid NUIS) for the buying process to take place. In Macedonia there is a 1Eur/kg rate of reimbursement. Most farmers in Albania are not registered as businesses. Is there an opportunity for supporting functions to Yes. If proper expertise is offered to producers and proper training is provided, they will affect be the driver of a market development solution? the production process and impact the market. Do they cooperate with other value chain actors? Yes. Especially producers engaged and part of associations. Is there opportunity?
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INTERVIEW & QUESTIONNAIRE: WORLD VISION (16.07.2019)
TABLE 3: VALUE CHAIN SUPPORTING FUNCTIONS QUESTION ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR Who did we speak to? World Vision Organization Coordinator in the World Vision Organization, who has been supporting the honey production value chain with inputs. Who are the key supporting functions? Provision of inputs and trainings; Technical trainings for beekeepers with methods of bee treatment in different seasons. Association of beekeepers; Support with different inputs (hives, materials and technology equipment, experience Fair organization. exchange, testing of the bee’s health conditions). Organization of two local beekeepers’ associations. Organization and development of “Honey Fest Librazhd” (Festa e Mjaltit Librazhd), which is being organized since 2017. What do they see are the constraints in the value Bad quality inputs; The overall bad quality of inputs (especially of the medicines used in health treatment). chain? Lack of veterinary certification; Lack of veterinary certification for individuals who are engaged in bees’ transportation Bad infrastructure conditions; towards the Municipality of Librazhd. Need for stable experts. Bad infrastructure (necessary during bees’ transportation and going to market phase). Need for stable experts in the area (acting as trainers and constant consultants). What do they see are the opportunities in the Natural resources Natural resources of a diversity of flowers, chestnut, clean environment for a qualitative value chain? Perennial heritage and highly curative honey. Perennial heritage in the beekeeping process. Who are the supporters in the value chain who World Vision; In the last years, women have been involved in many bee activities. They are engaged in all provide services, what services, women specific, Municipality of Librazhd; the processes, up to honey production. We can say that by doing so, they gained good which parts of the chain? Beekeepers Association Librazhd. business management skills. These skills have led to an increase of their role as income managers, in the family and during the children education. What are the skill challenges in the value chain There are no challenges. There are no challenges. Women have the following skills: (focus on women)? * Skills in bee treatment during all year; * Managerial skills; * Better skills in children education; * Decision-making authority regarding communal decisions. Are there business development services available? No There are no proper institutions that provide stable services, excluding seasonal Any focus on women? interventions mentioned above, such as WV, the municipality, Associations. These institutions provide seasonal trainings, different materials and management knowledge. Are there any other support programmes for the Yes Organizations / associations focusing on gender equality; value chain? Employment of women in state institutions
Where and when is finance accessed in the value Enclosed cycle financing (they sell the product and think also about expanding their activity); chain and for what purposes? Can women access Remittances; it? Subsidies from governmental policies. Is there an awareness of gender issues in the value Yes. A higher awareness is noted in the last years regarding her role in the family, as well as in chain (observation)? different production sectors, directing associations, etc. Different associations whose programmes are focused on empowering women, are actively engaged in the area. State institutions employee a high percentage of women.
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TABLE 3: VALUE CHAIN SUPPORTING FUNCTIONS QUESTION ACTOR NARRATIVE ON ACTOR What are the different levels of power and Inspections for the product quality. As a controlling authority is listed National Food Authority, which takes inspections to influence in the value chain? check the product quality. What are positive impacts within their sphere of Product certification; influence? Input center and training services. Is there an opportunity for supporting functions to Yes. Through product promotion; Product certification as an inalienable value of the area; and be the driver of a market development solution? opening a center for collecting honey, offering training, consultancy, qualitative inputs, etc.
Do they cooperate with other value chain actors? High cross-sectoral collaboration. There is a high cross-sectoral collaboration among businesses. They have assessed common Is there opportunity? factors that influence the business environment growth. These factors are: Infrastructure; Addressing issues for the improvement of state policies for businesses; Technology (electricity, internet, etc.); Environmental issues; Registration as a farmer; Application for financing; Trainings in management; Gender equality.
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LIST OF STAKEHOLDERS/ SUGGESTED PARTNERS/ EXPERTS/ CONSULTANTS
NO. NAME_SURNAME ORGANIZATION POSITION AREA OF EXPERTISE CONTACT
1 Shpetim Cura World Vision Coordinator Agribusiness management 0682295403 [email protected] 2 Hysni Hoxha Municipality of Librazhd Agronomist, Zootechnician Zoo-technician 0696302116 [email protected] 3 Prof. Vitor Mallutaj Bee-keepers Federation Head of Beekeepers Beekeeping Expert 0672070490 Federation, Professor at UAT, PhD in Beekeeping 4 Enver Gorica Bee-keepers Association, Head of BA Pogradec Beekeeping Expert 0696031305 Pogradec 5 Anjeza (Muhamet) Municipality of Vlora Head of. Directorate of Food quality, consumer protection 0682020626 Cota Consumer Protection 6 Lejla Shehu Bejleri Beekeepers Association Previous Head of BA Product development., differentiation, success 0692161395 story-produces propolis creams and is willing to [email protected] conduct a master class 7 Ergent Pire Creative Business Solutions Business Advisor Business Management, Certifications, Business [email protected] Registration, Access to Finance 8 Fatmir Nikolli NOA Financing Institution Business Advisor/ Expert Business Management, Certifications, Business [email protected] Registration, Access to Finance 9 Flutura Veipi Arche Consulting Business Advisor Business Management & Business Planning [email protected]
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10 Renato Vasili Rventure Consulting Managing director Product Development, Selling strategy, Pricing [email protected] Strategy
11 Petrit Dobi Agricultural University of professor Rural development, Animal Health - bees [email protected] Tirana
12 Sabah Sena Albanian Group of professor Food Safety, Agribusiness Management [email protected] Agricultural Advisors
13 Anila Hoda Agricultural University of professor Rural development, Animal Health- bees [email protected] Tirana
14 Lumturi Sena Agricultural University of professor Food Safety, Agribusiness Management; including [email protected] Tirana honey businesses; queen bee health
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LIST OF STAKEHOLDERS/ SUGGESTED PARTNERS/ EXPERTS/ CONSULTANTS
NO. NAME_SURNAME ORGANIZATION POSITION AREA OF EXPERTISE CONTACT
15 Fatjon Hoxha Agricultural University of professor Food Technology, Honey quality [email protected] Tirana
16 Ilir Kapaj Agricultural University of professor Agribusiness management [email protected] Tirana 17 Ardita Dinaj CNVP rural and economic Local Economic Development, Honey Value Chain, [email protected] development FLED Project - Forest for Local Economic Development 18 Lindita Manga ALCDF Executive Director Local capacity-building, Business Management, [email protected] Certifications
19 ICDQ Albania Organic, HACCP, ISO certifications [email protected]
20 Valbona Paluka Nucleus Albania Executive Director Business Management & Business Planning; [email protected] Clustering
21 Lulezim Kadiasi individual consultant Agribusiness management; HACCP; Organic [email protected]
22 Ramazan Demirxhiu Beekeepers Association in Head of BA Tirana Honey, Bee health, Pesticides NA Tirana
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U.S. Agency for International Development PLANNING AND LOCAL GOVERNANCE PROJECT IN ALBANIA
RR. DERVISH HIMA 3 KULLAT PRAPA STAD. QEMAL STAFA KULLA 1, APT. 91, KATI 10 TIRANA, ALBANIA
www.plgp.al facebook.com/Albania.USAID
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