THE ROLE AND IMPACT OF LOCAL ACTION GROUPS IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT OF KOSOVO
Abstract
This research aims to present and analyze Local Action Groups and their role in Kosovo. Improving national wealth and reducing migration, especially from rural areas, is one of the biggest challenges. The LEADER program is considered to be a very successful rural development initiative of the European Union. Hence, this study examined the role of Local Action Groups as a main tool in implementing the LEADER approach. Focus was placed on how they work in Kosovo, their structure and organization, projects implemented, operation and characteristics of LAGs in Kosovo in the context of seven features of LEADER. The research concentrates on four municipalities where LAGs were examined, and the role of international organizations in training them. Descriptive statistics methods were used for the analysis. The study found that the LEADER approach in Kosovo is implemented more in theory and less in practice. Since they have been created, Local Action Groups in Kosovo have remained at an early stage of development. They need support from policymakers and international organizations.
Keywords
rural development, efficiency, local action group, LEADER approach
References
EUO (2015). European Commission Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) 2014–2020 – Further Support to Kosovo's Development of the Agri-Rural Sector and Food Safety [Report]. European Union Office in Kosovo.
GIZ (2014). Local Action Groups in Kosovo. Study on status quo and capacity development needs. GIZ.
KAS (Kosovo Agency of Statistics). (2014a). Agriculture Census 2014. Retrieved Sep 18th 2016 from: https://ask.rks-gov.net/ENG/agriculture.
KAS (Kosovo Agency of Statistics). (2014b). Economic Accounts for Agriculture 2014. Retrieved Sep 13th 2016 from: https://ask.rks-gov.net/en/agr/category/103-eaa?download=35:economic-accounts-for-agriculture-2014
KAS (Kosovo Agency of Statistics). (2014c). Results of Household Budget Survey 2014. Retrieved Aug 9th 2016 from: https://ask.rks-gov.net/en/hbs/category/115-results-of-household-budget-survey?download=1455:results-of-household-budget-survey-2014
KAS (Kosovo Agency of Statistics). (2011): Kosovo Population and Housing Census 2011 –Final Report. Retrieved Sep 19th 2016 from: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/censuskb20/KnowledgebaseArticle10700.aspx
Kassai, Z., Farkas, T. (2012). Participation in Local Rural Development Partnerships. Ann. Pol. Ass. Agric. Agribus. Econ., 14(6), 104–108.
Kassai, Z., Goda, P. (2011). Evaluation of Local Rural Development Strategies in Hungary. Ann. Pol. Ass. Agric. Agribus. Econ., 13(6), 83–88.
MAFRD (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development). (2014). MAFRD Agriculture and Rural Development Programme. Prishtine, Kosovo.
Nunvarova, S. (2014). Local action groups – entities of rural development. Mendelnet, 361–366.
OECD (2011). OECD Regional Typology. Retrieved Feb 15th 2016 from: https://www.oecd.org/gov/regional-policy/OECD_regional_typology_Nov2012.pdf
World Bank (2016). Country Report: Kosovo. Retrieved June 10th 2016 from http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/kosovo
Mr France
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This journal permits and encourages authors to post items submitted to the journal on personal websites or institutional repositories both prior to and after publication, while providing bibliographic details that credit, if applicable, its publication in this journal.