Description
ABA online is a digital app and mobile app that provides rural extension and advisory services to meet the needs of Albanian farmers and to develop their business and financial skills. The app provides technical knowledge through written and video materials addressing such issues as agricultural production, production technologies, raw materials, chemical and organic fertilizers, and pesticides; provides weather forecasts and market prices in three districts; offers policy-related information about such issues as agricultural certification, subsidy schemes and export standards; and provides regularly updated market price information on several commodities, such as vegetables and fruit, in three markets: Divjaka, Tirana and Lushnjë. ABA online also has a community feature comprising a forum and an area for obtaining expert advice. Farmers can use the forum to create dialogues and establish contacts with other farmers, and with experts and traders operating in agricultural fields. Farmers can also access an online advisory service to reach agricultural experts in the areas of livestock production, greenhouse vegetables, field vegetables, fruit trees, vineyards, olive & citrus cultivation, and beekeeping by contacting the experts via social media or an online form on the website. FED Invest also facilitates farmer engagement in ABA online through its physical ABA centre, where the agricultural experts and staff organise training sessions, including those aimed at developing digital skills.
Technology
ABA can be accessed as an online or mobile application. Most of the services are free, while registration is required to access some services, such as the expert advice and educational materials.
Target
ABA online has over 14 000 registered users as of January 2023, including smallholder farmers, input traders, product collectors , exporters, veterinary pharmacies, etc. as well as members of the FED Invest financial cooperative. The cooperative includes 92 000 members as of April 2026, some 50 percent of whom work in agriculture. The staff of the FED Invest bank, which maintains 64 branches throughout the country, are trained to promote ABA online through village advisors and during their interactions with farmers. The mobile application has recorded over 1000 downloads from the Google Play Store. The app is available in Albanian, and a demo website is available in English.
Business model
Development of the website was supported financially by FED Invest and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the “Financial Inclusion of Family Farms in Albania” project. Since 2022, FED Invest has been independently maintaining and further developing the ABA online app. Since January 2023, all of the services have been provided free to farmers.
Impact
The website offers market information, technical guidance, knowledge products and advisory services, all free of charge, facilitating the dissemination of information, expertise, education and knowledge of best practices and the promotion of financial literacy among farmers in Albania. The forum features over 240 discussion topics in the field of agriculture. In 2022, the “Ask the Expert” section addressed over 135 questions and answers. The online app also features over 20 tutorials and promotional videos and over 200 articles. Finally, farmers with limited digital skills are provided with face-to-face help by FED Invest staff and village advisors.
Partners
Japan International Cooperation Agency; Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Four Betters
Better production
Better life
