Work begins on the design of the program for the Farm Accounting Data Network in Albania

Tirana, Albania - Considered as one of the key issues for the design and development of comprehensive agricultural policies for family farms, in the promotion of rural development, the increase of rural welfare and the preservation of heritage, work has begun on the design of the program for the Farm Accounting Data Network (FADN). Albania's support in this process comes within the framework of the "EU Integration and Policy Support in Agriculture and Rural Development" project, funded by FAO, and focuses on comprehensive policies towards family farms, with the objective of promoting rural businesses, increasing well-being rural and family economy.

As a crucial component for the farm economy in Albania, due to the importance of the design of the FADN system in the collection, processing, analysis and monitoring of annual farm income, FAO is committed to supporting its partners, based on EU best practices.

During preliminary consultations with the line ministry and the main actors in the process, a hybrid meeting was held in Tirana at the end of June, with the presence of FAO regional experts, where the discussants emphasized the importance of designing the FADN system in the orientation of Albanian agriculture, clearly followed by Albania's ambition to join the European Union. In this context, the preconditions included by the acquis communautaire, which are related to the approximation of the legislation of the regulatory framework, as well as the proper functioning of the common European policy, are a compass for the Ministry of Agriculture and Agriculture and Rural Development. "The drafting of the FADN system comes not only as a request of the EU, but provides a basis for the national agricultural policy supported by well-collected and well-managed data, promoting transparency in agriculture and strengthening Albania's position for the EU . membership", said Agim Pepkolaj, the national coordinator of the FAO project.

In this context, with the support of FAO, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development of Kosovo, specifically the Department of Economic Analysis and Agricultural Statistics, hosted the working group from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Albania and the FAO representative. in Albania, in order to increase capacities and exchange experiences for the development and implementation of the FADN system in Albania. During the three-day seminar in Pristina, has been discussed the action plan for the technical agreements between the two governments signed on June 20, 2022 by the respective ministers of both countries, Frida Krifca and Faton Peci, which aim at close cooperation between the two countries and exchange of experiences.

FADN in Albania plans to collect microeconomic data on agricultural farms with a focus only on commercial farms and not on small family farms. The engagement of the FADN technical group will contribute to the preparation of the FADN regulation, farm selection plan, data collection methodology, farm structure tables, farm standard product, questionnaire realization, software technical specifications, testing and their functionalization.