Lorenzo Coppola discusses Territorial Development in the context of IFAD programmes in Albania.

The field visits I attended concerning Territorial development approaches for rural development included projects on the following:

• Optimization of marketing dairy products by the Maremma Milk Producers Cooperative through the automation of the collection, registration and processing of data concerning milk sales.
• Valorisation of the Monte Amiata chestnut.
• Valorisation of the Mining Park of Gavorrano.
• Expansion and dissemination of the awareness of the territory and local products and to promote organic farming for endemic species and breeds.
•  “Mangiocando” - an educational project for children aimed at informing and educating families on healthy eating habits and at increasing knowledge on the energy and nutritional value of the local foods.

The field visits and discussions with concerned institutional stakeholders and Local Action Groups illustrated how local development priorities are addressed within the LEADER+ approach starting from the participatory identification of needs and moving into the definition of programmatic objectives, the development of appropriate strategies and thereafter the definition of an integrated strategy for local development - including key areas of intervention to be supported through competitive grants.

Notwithstanding the differences in terms of institutional frameworks and capacity, the application of participatory approaches in the identification of needs and the other key approaches of LEADER+ are applicable to the IFAD financed programmes.

During the year 2004 in Albania, a new development approach for a coherent and integrated allocation of resources was introduced. This included capacity building of local level institutions for the:                                                                           

•  development of participatory development plans 
•  mobilisation of additional resources for local development
• co-financing mechanisms for value chain development and infrastructure rehabilitation.

These are allocated on the basis of sub-sectors analyses and on a competitive basis.

Territorial development is a relatively new approach in Albania and most policies and strategies are still being implemented largely based on sectorial approaches. A major difference between the application of the LEADER+ approach and some of IFAD’s supported initiatives in Albania is the level of integration between higher level development plans, local level development opportunities and (private) sector support measures. At times, this has resulted in investments with limited territorial link and geographic dispersion. If appropriate attention is not paid to territorial linkages and spatial concentration, there is a risk that development impact will not be maximized and that value chains will be developed in areas where there are limited growth opportunities. This calls for a better integration of activities and a greater focus on a smaller number of key priorities/areas.