In August, wildfires hit Skënderbegas village in Gramsh Municipality, destroying large areas where locals grow medicinal and aromatic plants, especially lavender. Many hectares of crops burned and farmers lost tools, drying equipment and in some cases, their homes.

CNVP Albania has worked in the area for five years through its Local Economic Development (LED) project, supporting the production and drying of medicinal plants. With financial support from Sweden, CNVP responded after the fires by providing working materials and tools to help farmers recover their losses and restart cultivation and drying activities.

Local farmers told CNVP Albania’s team that the fires wiped out entire fields and essential equipment, making recovery difficult without external support. The Administrator of the Skënderbegas Administrative Unit, Arif Feimi, described the damage as severe and welcomed CNVP’s intervention, saying the assistance will help families restart production and protect their livelihoods.

During the visit, the team also met with the Mayor of Gramsh, Besion Ajazi, who expressed his appreciation for CNVP Albania’s continuous contribution to the municipality and the long-standing cooperation that has supported local farmers over the years.

Through this emergency support, CNVP Albania provided farmers with essential working materials and tools to restart lavender cultivation. The organization also supplied materials for the drying process of medicinal and aromatic plants, which are crucial for processing the harvested plants and maintaining their quality for sale.

The affected community relies heavily on lavender and other aromatic plants as a key source of income. CNVP’s Country Director, Anila Aliaj, stated that this emergency support is part of a broader effort to strengthen local value chains and help farmers become more resilient to future challenges.

CNVP will continue to monitor the recovery process and work with farmers and local authorities to plan next steps, including additional technical assistance where needed.