Climate Resilience and Agriculture Development Project (CRAD)
Integrated approach to boost climate-smart agriculture and access to markets
Description
The Albania Climate Resilience and Agriculture Development Project (CRAD) is an integrated project focuses on improving innovation in agriculture, enhancing smart irrigation, and access to local and European Union markets. Specifically, to implement the objectives, a) the project targets to support the development of five Micro Food Hubs in the peri-urban areas in Tirana, Shkodra/Lezha, Vlora and Gjrokastra, b) develop two food product clusters in the regions of Berat and Dibra including olive oil, processed fruits and vegetables, and traditional food aiming to improve the rural tourism sector, c) create a Climate Smart Agriculture IT Platform to collect information such as soil type, hydrometeorological data and agriculture practices while guiding the farmers toward resilient agriculture practices, and lastly, d) modernize selected irrigation and drainage schemes to improve high-value agricultural production.
Technology
To complement the Climate Smart Agriculture IT Platform, the project will support the software and hardware needed, as well as sensors installed in pilot areas. Meanwhile, the modernization and transition to smart irrigation will use solar photovoltaics for two pumping stations while technologies such as drips and sprinklers will allow the adoption of volumetric irrigation water pricing that can potentially reduce the operations and maintenance costs.
Target
The main beneficiaries of the project are smallholder farmers by gaining access to markets and improving smart irrigation. All types of farmers can also make use of the Climate Smart Agriculture IT Platform, assisting and informing them with resilient agricultural practices.
Business model
The project is funded by World Bank, amounting to a total project of USD 70 million. The project is one of the four projects that received financial approval in 2023, which includes the Building Resilient Bridges Project, the Universal Access to High Standard Public Services Project, and the Development Policy Financing project.
Impact
The project aims to create a climate-smart agriculture platform to promote and enable the implementation of climate-smart agriculture practices. Additionally, the initiative aims to connect smallholders to markets, strengthen resilient food distribution systems, promote value-added agricultural production and traditional foods, and support the overall resilience of the agricultural sector.
Partners
World Bank
Four Betters
Better production
Better nutrition
Better environment
Better life
