Deadline: 09-Nov-2025
The UN Women has launched a new call for proposals under the project “Empowering Women through Sustainable MAPs (Medicinal and Aromatic Plants) Production in Malësi e Madhe.”
This initiative aims to strengthen women’s economic participation in the agricultural value chain by supporting their leadership, access to resources, and engagement in the production and commercialization of high-value medicinal and aromatic plants.
The overarching goal of the project is to address structural barriers limiting women’s economic empowerment in rural Albania and create pathways for their inclusion in profitable, sustainable green sectors. The intervention will enhance women’s access to land, training, financial resources, and markets, while building their technical, entrepreneurial, and leadership capacities. The selected Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) will be responsible for implementing a comprehensive package of activities that include technical training, mentoring, business development support, organic certification, and facilitation of women’s participation in producer groups and associations.
The program will directly engage at least 50 women in the Malësi e Madhe municipality, strengthening their technical knowledge on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), enhancing market linkages, and promoting the cultivation of high-value plants. During the inception phase, implementing partners will identify target villages, assess local conditions, select high-demand plant varieties, and support participants in developing business plans and assessing profitability. The intervention will also explore opportunities for organic certification and shared processing facilities to improve value addition and competitiveness.
Training and capacity-building will play a central role throughout the project. Women farmers will receive hands-on training on cultivation, harvesting, post-harvest handling, soil management, pest control, and sustainable input use. They will also be trained in small business management, financial literacy, and market strategies, with access to mentoring, coaching, and cross-learning visits. Technical support will be complemented by leadership and cooperative development sessions, helping women form groups and strengthen their representation within sectoral associations such as EPCA and AMAP.
The project will further establish partnerships with enterprises like MEIA and Salvia Nord, as well as institutions such as Qendra e Transferimit të Teknologjive Bujqësore (QTTB) Shkodër, to link women producers with buyers and processors. These partnerships will help secure purchase agreements and reduce market risks. Additionally, the initiative will support women to apply for organic certification, aiming for at least ten certified producers within the project timeframe.
Gender equality and social inclusion remain central to the program. The implementing CSO is expected to adopt a women-centered approach, ensuring flexible training schedules, community engagement, and the involvement of men and youth to foster shared responsibility and recognition of women’s income contributions. Efforts will also focus on addressing socio-cultural barriers that limit women’s mobility, access to land, and decision-making power.
Monitoring and evaluation will include baseline, midline, and endline assessments with sex-disaggregated data, as well as documentation of success stories, lessons learned, and good practices. A final dissemination event will showcase results, promote scale-up, and encourage policy uptake.
The total funding available under LOT 1 – Malësi e Madhe is up to 8,000,000 ALL, with a project duration of 18 months (January 2026 – July 2027). Eligible organizations must have at least seven years of experience in value chain development, women’s economic empowerment, and capacity building in agricultural sectors. Experience with MAPs production, business training, and market access facilitation will be considered an advantage.
Through this initiative, UN Women seeks to promote inclusive rural development, women’s leadership, and sustainable agricultural growth, ensuring that women farmers in Malësi e Madhe can thrive as entrepreneurs, producers, and key contributors to the green economy.
For more information, visit UN Women.