Carrying dairy traditions across the mountains

04/09/2026

Every spring, Remzije Dekaj leaves her village behind and heads for the mountains.

From Istog i Poshtëm/Donji Istok in western Kosovo¹, every year she and her family move their livestock and beehives to the pastures of Livadhet e Istogut/Istočke Livade. For the next several months, these highlands become both their home and workplace, where they produce traditional dairy products and welcome visitors from all over Kosovo. With the help of her elder son, she manages a farm of more than 150 sheep.

For Remzije, moving the livestock ensures that her animals have access to fresh pasture and helps provide the income her family relies on throughout the year. As she prepares cheese in the family hut, she recalls how the business started. What began ten years ago with just ten sheep has grown into a flock of 150.

“Nothing happened overnight,” she says. “We worked hard, step by step, improving a little each year. Today, this work provides for our family and gives us confidence for the future.”

Like many families in western Kosovo, the Dekajs follow a centuries-old practice of moving livestock to high mountain pastures during the warmer months. As the snow melts and the grasslands turn green, wooden shelters known as stane reopen for the season. Families settle into a daily routine shaped by livestock farming, dairy production and the flow of visitors who come to enjoy the mountain landscape and buy fresh products directly from local producers. 

For Remzije’s family, the mountain hut becomes the centre of family life and a welcoming stop for visitors seeking authentic local products. Their shelves are filled with sheep cheese, maza, yogurt, fresh milk and honey, all produced directly on the mountain pasture.

“By five o'clock in the morning, I am already on my feet,” says Remzije. “The animals need to be cared for before anything else. The rest of the day is spent milking sheep, preparing dairy products and welcoming visitors who come to enjoy the mountains and purchase local products directly from us. It is hard work and the days are long, but this has been my life for years, and I wouldn't change it.” 

Over the years, demand for Remzije’s dairy products has increased. By maintaining traditional production methods, focusing on product quality and building a loyal customer base, Remzije and her family have gradually expanded their flock and increased production.

Despite the growth of the business, maintaining production in the mountains has never been easy. For years, milking was done entirely by hand, requiring long hours of physical labour. Keeping milk fresh during the summer heat was another constant concern.

“The biggest challenge was keeping up with the workload,” she says. “The more the flock grew, the harder it became to do everything manually.”

Remzije was among the rural women supported through the project Promoting Rural Women's Empowerment in Kosovo, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) with support from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). Working with women in Skenderaj/Srbica, Istog/Istok and south Mitrovicë/južna Mitrovica, the project improved access to knowledge, resources and opportunities for sustainable income generation, contributing to stronger livelihoods and women's economic empowerment in rural communities. Municipal authorities, notaries, and rural women alike deepened their understanding of relevant legal rights. 

Remzije improved her skills in developing agricultural business plans. She participated in workshops that provided information on grant schemes and financial opportunities available to rural women entrepreneurs. She  took part in on-farm demonstrations and exchanges of experience in livestock keeping practices with other women.  She also received individual technical advice, which helped her identify opportunities to further develop her dairy business.

Together with her family, Remzije manages the seasonal dairy operation, overseeing production, sales and the day-to-day activities required to maintain the flock and serve visitors who come to Livadhet e Istogut/Istočke Livade. The knowledge gained through the project helped her think more strategically about improving efficiency, maintaining product quality and planning future investments.

Through the project, Remzije applied for a milking machine and a refrigerator to keep dairy products cool, helping her improve working conditions and strengthen her dairy production.

"The work is easier to manage now," she says. "I spend less time on manual tasks and more time focusing on the quality of our products."

With her business plan in hand and access to more time-saving tools, Remzije hopes to continue improving production, maintain the quality of her products and expand her customer base.

“I want to continue improving the business step by step,” she says. “My goal is to reach more customers while maintaining the quality and traditions that make our products special. I want this work to continue supporting my family and to be something future generations can build on.”

“Women play a vital role in agriculture and rural livelihoods,” says Armanda Jahja, FAO Local Programme Manager. “Through this project, we sought to support women farmers with practical tools and opportunities that could help them strengthen their businesses, improve production and increase their economic participation in rural communities.”  

Remzije looks across the mountain pastures where she has spent the past decade building her business. 

“People often see the products, but behind every piece of cheese there is a story, a family and a lot of dedication,” says Remzije. “For us, these mountains are not only a place of work. They are part of who we are.”

While Remzije has eased her workload and strengthened her business prospects, her story also underscores the continued need for strong institutional support to  improve the policy environment and enhables the empowerment of women farmers. 

This story is part of a series celebrating women farmers worldwide, from producers, fishers and pastoralists to traders, agricultural scientists and rural entrepreneurs. The International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 recognizes their essential contributions to food security, economic prosperity and improved nutrition and livelihoods, despite heavier workloads, less favourable working conditions and unequal access to resources. It calls for collective action and investment to empower women, in all their diversity, and to build a fairer, more inclusive and more sustainable agrifood system for all.

¹References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).