Agriculture remains the most important sector in Albania’s economy and provides the income base for the majority of the population. Among Albania's farmers 74 percent are small family farmers with very limited size of holdings averaging not more than 0.5 hectare, but accounting for the highest share of agricultural production.

This Country Factsheet developed by the ESA Small Family Farm Team provides detailed insights into the life of these smallholders in Albania by taking a closer look on their production patters, factor use, labor allocation and the potential constraints they face. Although on-farm income is still the major source of livelihood, Albania's smallholders diversify their income more and more with self-employment or non-agricultural wages. Despite almost half of the arable land of an average small family farm is irrigated, agricultural support in form of extension service or access to credit remains weak and limits their competitiveness and productivity.