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Introduction of Improved Agriculture, Mechanization, Irrigation and Marketing Skills to Assist Economic Recovery of Conflict and Drought Affected Areas (IAMIMS)


Since the start of GCP/MCD/001/NOR in early 2003 the project has undertaken a unique approach in supporting more than 2000 small farmers in the production and marketing of high value horticulture crops through introducing contract farming in the conflict and drought affected regions.

The project was focused on conflict and drought affected areas with measures aiming at peace and confidence building. The project contributed to this goal by supporting and strengthening production and marketing of key crops produced by farmers groups in selected geographic areas.

The project’s overall goal was to contribute to the consolidation of peace and confidence building within and between the various ethnic groups and to mitigate against further outbreaks of ethnic conflict and unrest through economic development.

Project objective
The project promoted improved agricultural production and advanced agricultural and food safety practices such as GAP, traceability and marketing of high-value crops in order to increase self-reliance among the farmers and the food processing industry in Macedonia.

The main impacts from the project were:

  1. Increased production of high-value crops matched to market demand;
  2. Employment creation by raising farming professionalism, demands for services and additional trading activities;
  3. Increased awareness of market requirements and production of safe and quality produce;
  4. Confidence building between ethnic communities through working together for mutual benefit;
  5. Farmers linked with a network of reliable service providers (for agronomic and marketing support);
  6. Emergence of farmers’ organisations (groups) by commodity clusters.
  7. Providing training and demonstration on GAP;
  8. Providing improved agricultural inputs and farm equipment.

With this, the project provided a model for market-oriented production, which, at a later stage could become a programme for rehabilitation of the agricultural sector that can be replicated in different regions and for different crops and farming systems in the FYROM.