Skopje - Today the Rural Development Network (RDN) and M6 signed a Memorandum of Understanding for installation of a meteorological station on location ”Lepovo”, in Negotino, owned by M6. With this agreement, M6 will allow the USAID Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture project to use space at the winery free of charge, while M6 will have access to the information gathered by the meteorological station and will be able to use the data for its own needs and share them with local community producers to help in agricultural production improvement.

“Sharing the data with grape growers from the region will contribute to strengthening the wine sector’s capacities and we hope this will initiate further cooperation among them,” said Robert Wuertz, USAID Mission Director in Macedonia. “It is important to emphasize that the weather information we collect will help farmers make decisions and improve their farming activities. This will improve their ability to adapt to the changing climate and thereby preserve or even improve their livelihoods”.

“Climate changes, very rapidly change the conditions in agriculture and other related areas and therefore we are happy to be involved in this project. Thus we complement our defined socially responsible position in helping the sector and assisting in its successful adapting to challenges of climate change in Macedonia, whose consequences are already emerging”, said Svetozar Janevski from the investment group M6, after signing the Memorandum. He emphasized that this opens the door to even broader cooperation with the project, implemented by the Rural Development Network of the Republic of Macedonia.  

Installation of this meteorological station will help the project monitor weather conditions, which is necessary for determining and testing different climate change adaptation techniques in agriculture. By working with local farmers throughout the project’s targeted regions, RDN will ensure that these techniques are further replicated, adjusted and scaled up in more communities.

NOTES TO EDITORS:   
The three-year USAID Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture project, implemented by the Rural Development Network, was launched in April this year and aims to promote agricultural practices adaptive to climate change and raise the awareness of the forthcoming challenges of climate change and the need for joint, community level responses. The Rural Development Network of the Republic of Macedonia works to demonstrate a structured approach in mobilizing rural communities to become stronger agents of local development and improve rural policy at the local, regional, national and EU levels.  More than 50 civil society organizations as members of the Network are voicing their concerns at the national level.  For details, please visit: (www.ruralnet.mk).

The American people, through USAID, have invested over $500 million in Macedonia since 1993. USAID is working with the people of Macedonia to create jobs, strengthen democratic institutions and practices, enhance integrated education, and prepare students for the workforce. These initiatives improve the quality of life and support Macedonia’s transition to a stable and prosperous democracy. USAID provides economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries. For more information please visit http://macedonia.usaid.gov and USAID FB page http://www.facebook.com/USAIDMacedonia