IFDC Report, Volume 36, No. 2
Date
2011
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Abstract
This report highlights the role of the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) in assisting Albania's transition to a free-market economy in the early 1990s. Albania faced an agricultural crisis and food shortage at that time due to decades of isolation and communist rule. IFDC, working with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), developed innovative strategies to revitalize the agricultural sector and promote private and competitive agriculture in Albania. They established the Albanian Fertilizer and Agribusiness Dealers Association (AFADA) and provided farmers and agribusinesses training, credit assistance, and technical know-how. These efforts increased agro-input availability and improved crop yields and income for smallholder farmers. AFADA became an active organization under the Albania Association and Business Management Center (ABMC), advocating for agricultural policy reforms and negotiating free trade agreements. IFDC's projects in Albania received support from the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food for Progress program. The success story of Albania's agricultural transformation inspired similar initiatives in other countries.
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Deep placement, Self-sufficiency, Agribusiness, Fertilizers