Albanian Network for Rural Development (ANRD) has launched the Farm to Fork Academy and the First regional Training of Trainers on Sustainable farming and Rural Development was organized in Tirana, Albania.

The Opening ceremony held on 13 February 2024, marked an important moment for the project as for the first time was established a “Farm to Fork Academy” which plays a key role in supporting and building sustained capacities of CSOs and CSO networks. Four Comprehensive regional Training of Trainers (ToTs) program on sustainable food systems and livelihoods are planned to be organized within the Farm to Fork Academy. As a result, 19 participants from the 6 Western Balkan countries gathered in Tirana, Albanian from 14-16 February 2024 for the first regional ToT.

This Academy is coming in life as a result of its Strategic framework and as a result of the four experts from Academia, that developed an integrated toolkit on Sustainable farming and Rural development based on 4 modules related to the Farm to Fork Strategy. The four modules that are outlined in the toolkit on which the training of the Academia is based on are: Agroecology, Sustainable Horticulture, Organic Farming and Circular economy. The agenda of the ToT was a combination of knowledge from academia, examples from real life, videos presentation and discussion.

Each of the modules has its specificity to make the participants develop their knowledge and capacities. Merging the four modules in one ToT by providing an integrated approach make the participant more capable and gives them another perspective on how the four modules can be replicate in national level with interested CSOs.

“Everything we do, we do only to provide us with the opportunities that the generations before us had, but also to enable the same for the generations that come after us” – said Aleksandra Velimanovic from Association of citizens “NIMBUS”, Loznica, Serbia.

“As the first participants of this First regional ToT, we have a serious task ahead of us to convey the information gained, to those interested in these topics in national level” – said Vesna Đukić from CSO Olive Producers Association, Boka, Montenegro

At the end of the regional ToT, certificates were distributed to the participant for completing the three days Training of Trainers. Each regional Training will be followed up by a national training, in this way stay tuned with us to be part of this academy.

The first regional ToT on Sustainable Farming and Rural development is implemented in the frame of the regional project “Farm to Fork Academy for Green Western Balkans – Our shared European future” funded by EU and implemented by the consortium of the rural development networks in the 6 Western Balkan Countries and Croatia as well as by the regional cooperation platform the Balkan Network for Rural Development (BRDN).

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