Overview
Albania is one of Europe’s most important producers and exporters of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAP). The sector is currently undergoing a significant transition: while wild collection remains important, there is a growing shift toward cultivated and organically certified MAP production. At the same time, the sector faces key challenges related to climate change, sustainable land and resource management, rural migration, and a shortage of both skilled labor and qualified technical staff across the value chain.
This study explores the establishment of a MAP Competence Center to support sustainable sector development. The project involves extensive stakeholder engagement, including field visits, workshops, and coordination meetings with farmers, processors, exporters, the rector and researchers of the Agricultural University of Tirana (AUT), representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, scientific collaborators of the Agricultural Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) in Shkodër, organic certifiers, and other stakeholders. By clarifying institutional roles, governance structures, and collaboration needs, the study seeks to lay the foundation for a Competence Center that enhances capacity building, knowledge exchange, sustainable cultivation practices, adaptation to climate change, and local value creation in the MAP sector.
