On September 26th in Sveti Nikole, the Climate Change Caravan, organized by the USAID Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture (ACCA) project, concluded its autumn campaign with the last of four stops around the country.  By bringing climate change experts to rural areas, the Caravan educates small farmers and their communities about the anticipated effects of climate change.  Through open question-and-answer sessions, the experts address farmers’ concerns, share strategies for adapting to climate change effects, and emphasize the importance of proactive, community-wide responses.  Minister of Agriculture Ljupco Dimovski, USAID Mission Director James Stein, and USAID ACCA project Chief of Party Petar Gjorgievski, made remarks.

“Macedonia has recently suffered from a hotter and drier climate, and has been more prone to heat waves, droughts, floods, and hail.  As farmers, you understand what this means better than anyone. You are experiencing this changing climate first hand,” said USAID Mission Director James Stein. “We want to reduce the negative effects of climate change on agriculture by developing and sharing affordable climate change adaptation techniques that are tailored to the needs of small farmers.”

To reduce the negative effects of climate change on the agriculture sector in rural Macedonia, the ACCA project works with small farmers and their communities to develop and disseminate affordable climate change adaptation technologies and practices, conducts comprehensive public awareness and outreach campaigns, and helps build the capacity of small farming operations.

Besides Sveti Nikole, the Caravan visited three more locations during September: Valandovo on September 18th, Resen on September 21st and Krivogashtani on September 25th.