"Now we feel like we have a stake in our future."
Giving local communities control over their resources
 | All over Albania today, one sees change taking hold. Forests in Pogradec's Bucimas commune are well maintained. The irrigation system in Tirana's Zallherr commune has been increasing farmers' income.
And farmers in Elbasan's Kuqan commune may soon receive credits to promote their agricultural produce. These changes were made possible with millions of dollars of credit from the World Bank. |
Farmers care for their forests themselves Money aside, the Bank–supported projects have had another significant impact: they are giving communities control over their resources and the decisions that affect them. And, the people working on such projects are elected by the community on the basis of their management experience, which adds another level of stability. “These forests will be here for a long time because farmers themselves take care of them. They won't let shepherds from neighboring |  |
villages bring their herds here to graze,” says Ruzhdi Ymetllari from Bucimas.
When the commune's chestnut trees were destroyed because of an infection in 1989, Bank funding helped revive some 700 hectares. "Chestnuts are a good source of income for many families in this area," says Ymetllari. "With better marketing this can grow into a great business." Communities look after their irrigation network
 | In another community, farmers created an irrigation association with 419 members, thanks to World Bank funding. Again local ownership ensures long-term success.
“If someone damages the network," one member says, "farmers themselves make sure the perpetrator repairs it. The system is theirs and they take care of it.”
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Introducing transparency in management of credit and savings institutions
Oversight boards in charge of credit and savings associations across the country decide on the allocation of credit to farmers. Meanwhile, the farmers get to vote on which applications are submitted to the board.
Repayments are reportedly on track, and farmers are looking into the possibility of increasing their saving contributions so that the system can be self-sustained. |  |
Farmers themselves have created 94 of these credit and savings associations in almost 300 villages in Albania with financing from the World Bank. Transparency is a top priority in managing the associations; all members—not just the monitoring board—are allowed to verify where and how the money is spent.
With a new stake in their land, farmers now stay to cultivate it
 | One of the highlights of the Bank's involvement in Albania is the Albania Forestry Project, which was initiated in 1996 with US$ 21.6 million funding. The project will maintain forests and pastures covering more than half the country’s surface area.
The project is expected to reduce poverty because land is the primary source of income for poor rural people, who make up more than half the population of Albania. |
Consequently, the countryside's economic viability, to a great extent, relies on its natural resources. Since those resources have deteriorated significantly over time, substantial and long-term investment such as that provided by the project is urgently needed.
“Our lives are improving," says a farmer who has benefited from the project. "Many here used to look elsewhere for better opportunities, leaving their land barren. But now we feel that we have a stake in our future.” |
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