Environmental research

The northern part of Albania is mostly mountainous and has one of the lowest income per capita in the country. Properties are typically small, widely scattered farms, with low levels of capital outlay. Adding on the problem is the disrepair of the roads and the nearly non-existent marketing system. One of the sources of income for these communities is the collection or the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, but frequently at least 20 to 25% of the crops are lost due to insufficient drying or maltreatment of the crops. These crops achieve an improved quality by an effective and quick drying process. In order to increase the value of the agricultural products and decrease complaint from the export market, it is very important to able to dry the products properly. The adoption of the technology by the farmers and the processed agricultural products by consumers, can contribute to raise a required amount and a source to generate income for sustaining the current medicinal plant collection activity or small-scale agricultural production as well as a continuous development of the technology. This project is run in collaboration with GTZ and aims at creating a critical mass of good quality product that could make commercially viable a scheme of Fare Trade between German based companies and the local communities. Simple, locally produced solar dryers are one important part of this equation.

Albania