These three projects are:-The Macedonian Agricultural Advisory Support Project – MAASP in direct cooperation with the Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Water Economcy (MAFWE),- The SFARM project - strengthening agricultural producer organizations through cooperation between the Swedish National federation of Farmers (LRF) and the Federation of Farmers of the Republic of Macedonia – FFRM, - Cooperation between the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala and the University of Kyrillos and Methodius (UKIM) in Skopje to strengthen academic capacity of the department for agricultural economics.
Impressive progress and strengthened national ownership were among the positive conclusions drawn by the Swedish and Macedonian delegations with regard to all three projects.
As input into the discussions and considerations for future cooperation, a seminar on agriculture in Macedonia – performance and challenges in the light of EU accession was arranged on April 7. One of several issues raised was the current fragmentation of landholdings and the urgent need to embark on a responsible process for land consolidation – an area in which Sweden and Sida has particular experience e , not in the least in the Balkan context.