UNDP/ENPARD: Agricultural Success Stories in Adjara
In order to inform wider society of agriculture and rural development in Adjara region, journalists of broadcast, print and online media were invited to villages across the Adjara region and to see small farmers’ cooperatives.
The media tour of June 27-30 was mainly supported by The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Georgia, and the European Neighborhood Program for Agricultural Development (ENPARD).
The media was first-hand informed of the challenges faced by small farmers, the successes of agriculture cooperatives, and the role of agriculture cooperation in enhancing rural development in Georgia.
The journalists travelled to villages in the Adjara highlands where they visited berry and hazelnut plantations, trout farms and greenhouses. They also met with Janos Herman, EU Ambassador to Georgia; Niels Scott, Head of the UNDP in Georgia; Archil Khabadze, Chair of the Adjara AR Government; Zaur Putkaradze, Minister of Agriculture of the Adjara and other officials engaged in the field.
“It is encouraging to see that with the assistance offered by the European Union and our cooperation with UNDP, the Government of Georgia and local partners are able to make farming more efficient and bring new prospects to the rural areas,” stated Herman. According to the Ambassador, ENPARD assisted more than 70 farmers’ cooperatives in Adjara alone. “Over ten thousand small farmers have benefitted from our services,” he concluded.
Niels Scott underscored that the success of ENPARD in Adjara is the result of proactive cooperation with the national and regional government. “The program is coming to an end this month [sic] but we look forward to launching the next stage and continuing our assistance for rural development in Adjara and other regions of Georgia,” he said.
GEORGIA TODAY was impressed in particular by the agricultural cooperative ‘Perspektiva Tkhili’ located in Shuakhevi that cultivates up to 2,500 hazelnut bushes on more than 4-hectares of land. The farmers proudly say that the seedlings, peeling machine, and motobloks that ENPARD provided to them have significantly assisted them to advance their level of production and efficiency. 73-year old Nodar Zosidze, who leads the cooperative, shows his extraordinary zest in further boosting the business that one would not even imagine existing in such a mountainous area.
The same sense of surprise was felt on visiting agricultural cooperative ‘Peranga,’ in Qeda’s Akho village, which deals in trout production. The team successfully runs a trout farm in Adjara’s extremely mountainous areas, selling their product in Tbilisi and Gori. Before ENPARD’s assistance, the cooperative had to transport the fish in ill-equipped vehicles, causing nearly 20-25% damage to their product. The ENPARD-provided transport, fully equipped with water basin, oxygen tanks and a water measuring machine have given the team hope and a possibility to almost eliminate their overall transportation-related losses.
Furthermore, principally deviating from traditional clichés in Adjara, agriculture cooperative 'Lurja-2015' in Kobuleti's village Ochkhamuri has effectively developed berry production.
The cooperative grows blueberries and strawberries on 1.5 hectares of land. The production has substantially increased since the farmers received new seedlings and an up-to-date drip watering system with assistance from ENPARD.
ENPARD has been operating in Adjara throughout 2013-2016 with a total budget of EUR 3.3 million with up to EUR 3 million from the EU and the rest from the Adjara Government.
ENPARD-Adjara is part of the wider program of ENPARD-Georgia, designed to assist agriculture and rural development in the country. This year, the EU recognized ENPARD as one of its most efficacious initiatives.
Throughout the last three years, ENPARD-Adjara has piloted innovative solutions for a range of rural development issues and has laid the ground for promoting agriculture and rural development reforms in the region. One of the achievements of the project is the development of the Adjara Rural Development Strategy in cooperation with the Adjara Rural Development Council. The strategy was adopted by the Adjara Autonomous Republic (AR) Government on May 17, 2016.
The list of project successes includes the establishment of over 70 small farmers’ cooperatives across Adjara, consultation and information, and agriculture extension services for over 10 thousand farmers.
Within the context of demonstration projects, regional farmers were introduced to new agriculture technologies such as modern greenhouses, the cattle hydroponic nutrition system, drip watering, and high production value chains in the production of berries, table grapes and walnuts.
The first phase of ENPARD Adjara ended on 30 June 2016 but the program is expected to continue throughout 2016-17. Acknowledging the impressive achievements in 2013-16 and aiming to ensure smooth transition between ENPARD-1 and ENPARD-2, the Adjara Government initiated a new 18-month project ‘Sustainable Agriculture Development in Adjara’ with a budget of GEL 1.3 million.
Zviad Adzinbaia
Photo: UNDP Georgia