Three villages of Moldova will work out and enforce local plans on rural development as a result of a project financed and implemented by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The project provides for the development of capacities of preparation and implementation of the rural development policy nationally.
FAO cooperated with the Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment Ministry, National Rural Development Agency, in order to organize the selection of local communities – beneficiaries of the project. The criteria of choosing included the interest, preparation and openness on behalf of local public administrations for a participatory approach, traditions, cultural and historical heritage of the communities. Thus, the settlements Lalova (Rezina district), Meleseni (Calarasi district) and Tescureni (Ungheni district) have been selected.
The main goal of the project is to prove in practice how the process of planning the community development works, proceeding from defining the needs and problems of the community, through active involvement in preparation of community development plans.
“The goal of the entire process is to simulate, on a small scale, a local rural participatory process and to test the way local communities are prepared to be mobilized and to absorb financing. This will also strengthen the capacity of the local administration, at the community or district level, including the extension service, in increasing the financing for the long run rural development,” said Morten Hartvigsen, the FAO chief manager for regional initiative on empowering small and family farmers for improving the living allowance and poverty reduction.
Depending on the communities’ needs within the project, FAO will make available an extended support of technical expertise (fishing, breeding and health of animals, production and protection plans, development of the short value chain, lands’ administration, social protection, nourishment) in the preparation of those three plans on community development and related action plans. Also, FAO will provide technical support to assess the needs of investments for those three pilot communities.
The equipment bought within the projects will be used as demonstrative instrument at practical workshops, due to be organized.
