Fruit and vegetables grown with love

Florin and Engjellushe Pepa. Photo: Malin von Strauss
Florin and Engjellushe Pepa. Photo: Malin von Strauss
There is no question that Engjellushe and Florin Pepa enjoy working together on their little farm outside Puka in northern Albania. The couple often laughs and there is an obvious warmth between the two of them, which the strawberries, grapes, tomatoes and other vegetables seem to be gaining from.

– We really do like working together. That’s why our fruit and vegetables taste better. They are grown with love, says Florin with a smile.

Engjellushe and Florin are members of We Effect’s partner organisation AgroPuka and they have three children. Florin is a teacher by profession and Engjellushe a nurse. On the farm they are also doing small scale beekeeping.

Through AgroPuka, Engjellushe is a member of a women’s group where she, among other things, receives training in cultivation techniques. She and the other women have also received a greenhouse each.

– Through hard work and our new greenhouse, we have increased our income, says Engjellushe.

Engjellushe and Florin sell the crops in the area. But a big challenge is that the farms are so scattered, far from the main road. Therefore, the women in the group are discussing how they can sell what they grow together in the future. More structured.

– We have to work together. Together we can do so much more. We have already shown that as a group, Engjellushe.