This is an institutional capacity building project with the overall objective to contribute to the economic development of rural areas and to provide support for communities at municipality level to prepare and implement local development strategies.  The expected results to be achieved are:

• 30 Local Action Groups (LAGs) registered, and 30 local community development strategies prepared

• 30 municipalities implementing sustainable market linkage programmes identified in the local community development strategy with the aim of improving the quality of rural life, supported through technical advice given to farmers and farmers' groups by Kosovo's Rural Advisory Service

• Better land use management and monitoring in 30 municipalities, particularly pastures and forests, and including the identification of local bio-diversity action plans, supported through technical advice given to farmers and farmers' groups by Kosovo' s Rural Advisory Service

• Market-oriented cross-border projects set up in Kosovo municipalities that border Albania, FYROM and Serbia and Montenegro

The main beneficiaries will be municipalities, rural communities, farmers, traders, processors, rural households and other economic operators. The main partner institutions for the project will be the Rural Development and Advisory Services Department (RDASD) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development (MAFRD), Municipality Departments for Agriculture and Rural Development and Local Community Action Groups

Institutional capacity building at central government and local local level through:

• An information campaign

• Development of technical materials and approaches

• Development and support to local action groups (LAGS)

• Municipality planning

• Development of cross border cooperation programmes

• Dissemination of results
  

Sustainable market linkages for rural households and economic operators through:

• The strengthening of agri-rural extension services

• Development and delivery of new training and technical assistance packages

• Encouraging participatory approaches to development

• Support to the development of non-farm rural enterprise

• Strengthening of linkages and partnerships
  
  

Support for natural resource management through:

• Environmental assessments in municipalities

• Awareness campaigns

• Development of guidelines, policies and action plans