The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and FAO Partnering to achieve sustainable agricultural and rural development The partnership between FAO and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has grown steadily since the country became a member of the Organization in 1993. Cooperation has spanned a wide array of country and regional initiatives in areas such as the wine sector, land tenure and management, obsolete pesticide management and climate change adaptation in rural areas. Across the spectrum, there has been a continual emphasis on national capacity building, with a more recent focus on aligning Macedonia’s agriculture and rural sectors with European Union standards. CONTACTS FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia 34 Benczúr utca H-1068 Budapest, Hungary Tel.: +36 1 461 2000 E-mail: [email protected] National Correspondent in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia E-mail: [email protected] Matching FAO’s expertise to Macedonia’s development priorities Current FAO assistance in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is shaped by the 2013-2105 Country Programming Framework (CPF), developed jointly with the Government and other key partners. The CPF is very much based on the strategic document, Priority Gaps for Donor Assistance in the Agriculture and Rural Sectors, prepared by Macedonia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, with support from FAO in 2010. Four of the five priorities identified in the Donor Assistance document constitute the key priority areas of FAO’s CPF: Rural development, with a view to enhancing capacity at the central and local levels for the design and implemention of rural development programmes harmonized with European Union (EU) standards. Support in this area includes development of a national soil map and a digital soil information system; development of the National Strategy for Agricultural and Rural Development for 2014 - 2020; improved tenure governance; and measures to reduce the vulnerability of agricultural systems to the effects of climate change (namely floods and droughts). Agricultural competitiveness, defining public sector roles and supporting interventions to assist the private sector in performing successfully in the market. Support in this area includes updating the national strategy for organic agricultural production; providing assistance in capacity building and training, including strengthening of the vocational training system for farmers. Forestry, modernizing forest resource management – in particular aiming at alignment with EU standards. Support in this area covers forest fire preparedness, wood energy information and policy development, and adaptation to and mitigation of climate change effects on forests. Biosecurity, with a view to enhancing the technical capacities of phytosanitary authorities, including the state Phytosanitary Laboratory and the National Plant Protection Organization. ©FAO/Johan Spanner 5/2015
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The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and FAO Partnering to achieve sustainable agricultural and rural development
The partnership between FAO and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has grown steadily since the country became a member of the Organization in 1993. Cooperation has spanned a wide array of country and regional initiatives in areas such as the wine sector, land tenure and management, obsolete pesticide management and climate change adaptation in rural areas. Across the spectrum, there has been a continual emphasis on national capacity building, with a more recent focus on aligning Macedonia’s agriculture and rural sectors with European Union standards.
CONTACTS
FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia34 Benczúr utcaH-1068 Budapest, HungaryTel.: +36 1 461 2000E-mail: [email protected] Correspondent in The former Yugoslav Republic of MacedoniaE-mail: [email protected]
Matching FAO’s expertise to Macedonia’s development prioritiesCurrent FAO assistance in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is shaped by the 2013-2105 Country Programming Framework (CPF), developed jointly with the Government and other key partners. The CPF is very much based on the strategic document, Priority Gaps for Donor Assistance in the Agriculture and Rural Sectors, prepared by Macedonia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, with support from FAO in 2010.Four of the five priorities identified in the Donor Assistance document constitute the key priority areas of FAO’s CPF:
� Rural development, with a view to enhancing capacity at the central and local levels for the design and implemention of rural development programmes harmonized with European Union (EU) standards.
Support in this area includes development of a national soil map and a digital soil information system; development of the National Strategy for Agricultural and Rural Development for 2014 - 2020; improved tenure governance; and measures to reduce the vulnerability of agricultural systems to the effects of climate change (namely floods and droughts).
� Agricultural competitiveness, defining public sector roles and supporting interventions to assist the private sector in performing successfully in the market.
Support in this area includes updating the national strategy for organic agricultural production;
providing assistance in capacity building and training, including strengthening of the vocational training system for farmers.
� Forestry, modernizing forest resource management – in particular aiming at alignment with EU standards.
Support in this area covers forest fire preparedness, wood energy information and policy development, and adaptation to and mitigation of climate change effects on forests.
� Biosecurity, with a view to enhancing the technical capacities of phytosanitary authorities, including the state Phytosanitary Laboratory and the National Plant Protection Organization.
©FA
O/Jo
han
Span
ner
5/20
15
Land fragmentation is a significant barrier to improved productivity. On average, farms are fragmented into 4-5 parcels, with some farmers having as many as 10. With small family farms averaging 1.6 hectares, the limited size of the parcels restricts the use of mechanization and contributes to a trend of farmland being abandoned.
Since December 2014, FAO has been providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy to develop its capacity to implement a national land consolidation programme. The project enables the Ministry to gain practical experience with different approaches to land consolidation, allowing farmers to consolidate the fragmented parcels of their land.
These experiences will also guide proposals for amending the legal framework to make land consolidation procedures more efficient. The project will also assist the country in preparing future land consolidation projects in the context of European Union accession and co-funding for rural development.
Digital soil mappingIn 2012 the need for sound information about Macedonia’s diverse soil resources became apparent – to support decision making about soil degradation caused by unsustainable soil management practices.
Without data and information about soil types and properties, agricultural development was at a standstill. FAO, working closely with Macedonia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, implemented a project to build the country’s capacities for digital soil mapping, and to develop an accurate and up-to-date national soil information system.
The project, which began in March 2013 and is due to end in August 2015, established the Macedonian Soil Information System. The system contains the first-ever national soil map of Macedonia that follows European and global standards and provides reliable data and information on the spatial distribution of soil types and soil properties throughout the country.
With the establishment of the Macedonian Soil Information System, all existing and future soil data can now be easily accessed online. It will serve as a baseline dynamic system that will be fed with new data, supporting development and implementation of sound policies, strategies and actions for the sustainable management of soils and sustainable development for the country.
Developing national strategy in harmony with EU standardsFrom July 2013 to December 2014 FAO supported The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy in developing a National strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (NSARD 2014-2020) and Operational Plan 2014-2020.
As part of the initiative, FAO provided technical guidance and capacity development to the staff of the Ministry to guide preparation of the strategy itself. In addition, FAO has been building the Ministry’s overall capacity for meeting its policy programming requirements for the European Union programming cycle covering the period 2014-2020.
The National Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development was adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy in December 2014. This strategy serves as the basis for programming the national budget to agriculture and rural development and was consulted during the formulation of the new European Union pre-accession assistance instrument, known as IPA 2.
The Department for policy development and analysis requires new capacities and skills in the areas of policy impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation. FAO can provide technical support for monitoring implementation of the strategy, which requires monthly data collection, analysis and the introduction of an annual report. It can also help build technical capacities for harmonization with EU acquis for 2014-2020, through support to revising laws, bylaws and regulations on land status and consolidation, rural development programming, and ensuring quality policy.
RECENT SUCCESSESSupport to national land consolidation programmeAgriculture remains a significant sector in Macedonia. With almost half of the population living in rural areas, agriculture has important social and economic functions.
“Improving agricultural and
food systems is essential for a
world with healthier people
as well as healthier
ecosystems.”
José Graziano da Silva,FAO Director-General
70
Plate 15
JRC Soils Atlas 4/8/05 1:31 pm Page 70
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