Foreign Aid

irrigation systems. It is also worth noting that the government, under the Agrodiesel program, is providing farmers with 150 liters of subsidized diesel fuel per hectare.

5) Farmers receive cards under state’s Agrodiesel program

June 20th, 2020, https://sputnik-georgia.ru/economy/20200620/248777286/

Within the framework of the state-run Agrodiesel program, cards for the purchase of diesel fuel were distributed to more than 60,000 farmer beneficiaries. Within the framework of the program, qualifying farmers will be able to use the cards to purchase diesel fuel at below market value. At the same time, both monetary funds and points will be credited to the cards, which farmers can use to also purchase fertilizers and plant protection products, chemical and biological plant protection products and seeds or seedlings as well as pay for agricultural services.

The provision of diesel fuel to farmers at preferential prices is one of the points of a government effort to help revitalize villages. In total, about 200,000 farmers will be able to use the program.

6) Government developing plan to help winemakers

June 27th, 2020, https://sputnik-georgia.ru/economy/20200627/248839163/

The government of Georgia is working on a program to help winemakers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused exports over the first five months of the year to drop 11.3% compared to last year. It remains uncertain exactly what form this assistance will take, although other government efforts to support the sector have already been made, most notably a GEL 60 million (USD 20 million) subsidy program to ensure the grape harvest is as undisturbed as possible.

The plan itself is expected to be revealed in early July.

Foreign Aid

7) ENPARD grant competition announced

June 1st, 2020, https://kalo.ge/news/view?id=8478

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has announced a grant competition to support agricultural initiatives within the framework of the European Neighborhood Program for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD). The grant competition aims to improve access to finance, services and industrial technical equipment for Georgian farmers, rural households, cooperatives and small- and medium-sized enterprises, with the ultimate goal of improving competitiveness in the agricultural sector and creating better livelihoods for the rural population.

8) Swiss dairy school to be established in Kvemo Kartli

June 12th, 2020, http://georgiatoday.ge/news/21476/Georgia%E2%80%99s-Future-Farmers-to-Benefit-from-Swiss-Experience

Over the next ten years, Georgia will graduate 300 professional farmers skilled in milk and dairy production thanks to a new vocational training institution –the Swiss Agricultural School Caucasus. Modeled on the historic Plantahof agricultural school in Switzerland, the school is set to open in 2021

and will serve as a model training facility for cattle breeding and dairy farming. The total investment needed to establish the new institution is estimated at USD 3,000,000. Funding will come from Swiss and Georgian private sources, including the Swiss South Caucasus Foundation.

Additional support is being provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which are developing school curricula that blends theoretical and practical training in cattle breeding and dairy production based on the Swiss Plantahof model. UNDP support will also include the retraining of teachers, the setting up of extension services for farmers and the arrangement of internships for students and trainers as well as offer business consulting to school graduates. This assistance is part of a wider partnership between UNDP and SDC to help reform vocational education and training so that the educational system responds to the demands of the labor market.

The Swiss Agricultural School Caucasus campus will be located near the village Sarkineti (Dmanisi municipality) in the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia. The school expects to offer three-year training courses to 300 students over the next ten years as well as provide agricultural extension services to up to 2,000 farmers.

9) ENPARD project supports women farmers in Georgia

June 17th, 2020, http://enpard.ge/en/eu-fao-support-women-georgias-rural-areas/

Women working in the agricultural sector in Georgia have limited access to important resources such as land, agricultural inputs, new technologies and financing opportunities as well as information, extension services and training opportunities. To help rural women improve agricultural knowledge, enhance their farms’ production and raise their standard of living, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Union (EU) are supporting female farmers in Georgia by teaching them the best agricultural practices with a project under the European Neighborhood Program for Agricultural and Rural Development (ENPARD).

Under the project, direct support to women farmers is multidimensional and encompasses FAO’s guidance for establishing demonstration plots and farmer field schools. Along with the capacity development of the female farmers, FAO and EU are also implementing a series of gender training sessions for state agricultural extension specialists. So far, more than 100 people have participated in the specialists training program, which equipped them with the necessary tools for mainstreaming gender into their work. Based on the knowledge obtained through the program, the specialists are expected to design and deliver quality advice to the farmers in a gender-sensitive way.

10) The importance of geographically-indicated food products

June 18th, 2020, http://www.fao.org/georgia/news/detail-events/en/c/1294444/

Over the past several years, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have been working with governments and producers worldwide to support geographical indications for traditionally made products. Such products have proven to bring higher prices, translating into higher incomes for rural households. Moreover, it also promotes pride in local food cultures and attracts youth to a promising agricultural business.

For Georgia, this represents a great opportunity to not only provide markets with food but also to preserve a rich cultural food heritage and know-how. Moreover, geographically-indicated products can also revitalize even the most remote regions of the country, breathing new life into rural economies and giving youth in those areas a reason to stay.