TUI Field to Fork Western Balkans

In Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro, a large share of the population depends on agriculture, yet farming is often small-scale, low-value and increasingly vulnerable to climate change. Unpredictable rainfall, droughts and rising temperatures threaten soil health and crop yields, while limited access to training and investment slows the adoption of sustainable practices. Rural economies offer few alternatives beyond agriculture, which accelerates migration to urban areas and abroad, particularly amongst young people and women. Although tourism continues to grow, most rural communities cannot benefit from it because farmers and tourism operators rarely work together and many farmers lack the skills, visibility and business connections needed to engage with tourism markets.

TUI Field to Fork Western Balkans works directly with rural agricultural households across the three countries. It maps and assesses farms to understand current practices and identify opportunities to improve sustainability and diversify income. Based on this assessment, farmers participate in targeted training on sustainable and regenerative agriculture, combining classroom learning with field demonstrations and farm visits. Through this process, 120 participants from 90 agricultural households strengthen their skills in soil health, crop diversity and water conservation, and begin applying improved practices on their land. As a result, farmers introduce sustainable and regenerative methods on at least 10,000 square metres, improving productivity and resilience to climate change.

The project also supports rural households and local stakeholders to translate agricultural activities into tourism experiences. Selected participants receive training and individual coaching on experiential tourism, enabling them to develop concrete offers rooted in local farming, food and cultural traditions. As ideas are refined and tested, 21 new rural tourism products and services take shape across the three countries, ranging from farm visits to culinary and cultural experiences. These offerings are promoted through targeted marketing and digital platforms, making them available o domestic and international visitors.

Strong cooperation between agricultural and tourism stakeholders is central to the project. Through workshops, networking events and matching sessions, farmers, food producers and tourism operators explore concrete business opportunities. These exchanges lead to 20 new partnerships that link local production with tourism value chains, including bundled tourism packages that combine farm experiences, local accommodation and food-based activities. As tourism operators integrate these experiences into their offers, rural households gain access to new markets while tourism destinations diversify their product range. During the project period, at least 1,000 people participate in the newly developed rural tourism experiences, generating direct income for rural communities and reinforcing the economic value of sustainable practices. By linking sustainable farming with tourism demand, the project creates lasting economic opportunities, strengthens rural economies, and shows how agriculture and tourism can grow together in a sustainable way.

As a service provider with worldwide operations in the fields of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education work, GIZ works with its partners to develop effective solutions that offer people better prospects and sustainably improve their living conditions. GIZ is a public-benefit federal enterprise and supports the German Government and a host of public and private sector clients in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment promotion, energy and the environment, and peace and security.