Participation of farmers in the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, as well as their involvement in decision-making at local and national level

In 2019, the Agricultural University of Tirana, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other private stakeholders started implementing the project titled: "Identification, evaluation and genetic improvement of some local crop varieties to face with impact of climate change, increase the productivity, food security and on-farm incomes, for poor farmers in remote mountainous areas in Albania". The core components of the project include: (1) creating awareness on the effects of climate change and the importance of agrobiodiversity conservation, (2) identification, collection and characterization of locally adapted crop varieties of maize and beans, to be used by farmers, (3) improvement of local crop varieties, seed multiplication and distribution to farmers, (4) strengthening of seed system capacities to provide quality seed of adapted local cultivars, among others. Some of the key outcomes of the project include: supporting farmers to maintain and conserve agro-biodiversity in areas vulnerable to climate change and food insecurity, in addition to strengthening of research capacities to produce locally adapted varieties. The lessons learned by the implementation of the measure are that participatory approaches that directly involve beneficiaries during implementation, enhance the success and sustainability of the activity, and that the direct participation of farmers plus cooperation with scientific institutions are key for success.