COVID 19 outbreak has disrupted lives and further isolated people living especially in rural areas. “A day in spring will be a week in autumn,” says an Albanian farmer who is worried about delays on spring agro-technical operations needed to be carried out in their cultivated lands.
Even though under restricted mobility imposed by coronavirus, CNVP team continuing to implement Sida funded project "LED - Local Economic Development" and work hard in supporting the sustainable Medicinal & Aromatic Plant (MAP) producers in rural Albania. As a COVID 19 response, the project is recently distributing protection masks, working gloves, disinfectants, basic agriculture hand working tools, and also providing extension service to a number of farmers and businesses partnering under LED project by respecting working in distance and safety measures. MAP-s production in Albania is a labor-intensive sector where around 60% of operations are carried out by animals and men working power. 
Plants of high distinctive values such as Sage, Lavender, Helichrysum, and Thymus are cultivated by many rural households in Albania, bringing a substantial contribution to their generally low-income economies. Spring activities are crucial for a successful and profiting harvest. 
In the year 2019, around 11.7 thousand tons of dry MAP-s and 34.3 tons of essential oils produced in Albania were exported to international markets, covering nearly 20% of total country agriculture exports.
LED project will continue encouraging farmers to keep going and will further contribute to strengthening MAP-s sector and local economies in rural Albania.