Agriculture extension services in Albania have undergone drastic changes from the
time of the state-organized economy to the market economy, as private extension
services have also emerged. Public extension services were restructured during
1990 and donor organizations have played a key role in this respect. Despite
improvements in some private and public services, such as cattle insemination and
vaccinations, other services are poorly provided, or even non-existent. Relatively
little research work has been carried out on extension services in Albania, and
further research on this subject is needed, as the availability of quality extension
services is seen as a key factor for achieving agriculture competitiveness in the
context of recent sector and market changes for final agri-food products. This
study intends to cast light on the current situation and future perspectives of both
supply and demand for public and private agriculture advisory services in Albania.
The study is based on a survey using semi-structured interviews and focus
groups with all main stakeholders of the agriculture sector in Albania, as well as
secondary data review.