Commercialization of smallholder farms in Kosovo

Kosovo’s agricultural sector is undergoing a series of transformations. However, a large number of small farms face significant barriers to modernisation and growth, including for instance high marketing costs and land fragmentation. For setting the policy course on how to support semi-subsistence farmers, the FAO conducts a study entitled "Capacity Development to MAFRD* to improve the commercialization between small farmers and family farmers". It will define drivers and barriers to commercialisation and assess the degree of cooperation and integration in value chains of semi-subsistence farms. The main objective of this study is to determine the facilitators of and constraints to commercialization of small, predominantly subsistence oriented family farmers in Kosovo. There is a lack of evidence concerning if and to which degree policy measures have reached small farmers. The effectiveness of such measures in the direction of small farmers’ commercialization and increase in their incomes needs to be assessed.

*Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development of the Republic of Kosovo (MAFRD)

• Prof. Sophia Davidova, University of Kent (UK)
• Prof. Dr. Muje Gjonbalaj, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary, University of Prishtina (Republic of Kosovo)
• Nol Krasniqi, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Prizren (Republic of Kosovo)
• Dr.agr. Iliriana Miftari, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary - University of Prishtina (Republic of Kosovo)
• Valon Xhabali (Republic of Kosovo)

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Publications

Herzfeld, T., Möllers, J., Bajrami, E., Davidova, S., Gjonbalaj, M., Miftari, I., Krasniqi, N., Xhabali, V. (2021) Commercialization of smallholder farms in Kosovo. FAO. Download