Agricultural land is the main resource for food production and economic activities in rural areas, especially for family farmers.
If structured well, land enables productive and competitive agriculture, opens market opportunities and improves resilience.
Excessive fragmentation of agricultural land, small farms sizes, as well as insufficient and obsolete agricultural infrastructure (access roads, irrigation and drainage systems) is a common problem facing Macedonian farmers. Due to low incomes and limited prospects for farm development, young people massively migrate from rural areas.
To address these problems, the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) created the MAINLAND project helping farmers cope with land fragmentation – and improving farm productivity and community life in the process.
The implementation of the National Land Consolidation Programme under the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, has positioned North Macedonia as a leader in the region in the implementation of such complex structural land reforms. It is an excellent example of successful land consolidation, also from an international perspective.
Check out the video for more information about the MAINLAND project results and its impact on the ground through the voice of main project beneficiaries.