Tbilisi (GBC) - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently concluded a project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and implemented over the past year with the aim of empowering and enhancing the resilience of local farmers in the Dusheti region. To mark the completion of the project, FAO Georgia’s extension team visited the members of Dushetian communities who participated in dairy and crop Farmer Field Schools. The aim of the visit was to communicate the results of the project to the local farmers and provide them with some agricultural inputs to enhance their production.
FAO established ten Farmer Field Schools in the villages of Kvesheti, Arakhveti, Jaghmiani, Benian-Begoni, and Bedoni. In this format, the local community members were presented with the opportunity to learn about modern techniques of dairy and vegetable production, as well as beekeeping.
As part of the visit, farmers participating in the project met with the FAO Georgia team members who handed them various agricultural inputs to improve food safety standards in small-scale production, as well as advancing their production capacities.
Meeting the dairy farming communities
During the visit, the dairy farmers, most of whom are women, received livestock care items, which ensure increased production capacity, and, importantly, improved quality and safety of their dairy products. As part of the project, they were also supplied with udder care items, digital thermometers, mastitis test kits, chymosin – a good quality rennet, cheese forms, mineral block, calf feeder, cattle feed, and gloves.
The FAO veterinarians provided the required knowledge and instructions on the utilization of these tools with 53 training participants from the local communities of Arakhveti, Kvesheti, Jaghmiani, Kaishaurni, Seturebi, Zakatkari, Benian-Begon, and Bedonii. The training sessions for dairy farmers included topics such as milk and its consistency, animal diseases and parasites, mastitis treatment, good hygiene and milking practices.
Moreover, Dairy Farmer Field School participants have the required knowledge about European cheese-making techniques to meet the growing demand of the Georgian market for higher-end dairy products.
Supporting the resilience of local vegetable producers
The FAO Georgia team members also provided trays for seedling production and fertilizers to the local farmers who participated in the project. These tools and equipment will support them in producing more and higher-quality produce locally. The local vegetable producers had also received earlier three moto blocks to be shared among them to prepare soil for planting. This equipment is especially useful for mountainous communities who own small plots of land in otherwise challenging to access locations with larger machinery.
Through the established Farmer Field Schools, 35 vegetable farmers attended ADB-funded FAO training series and learned about seedling, potato production and composting. They are now better equipped with the necessary knowledge for optimal soil and irrigation management, as well as controlling weeds, pests and diseases. Providing adequate nutrition to plants was also an important component of the training series for the local vegetable producers.
The FAO Georgia agronomists also established demo plots on two vegetable producers’ lands to test and compare six different Dutch potato varieties that provide high yield, and are recognized for early maturity, water stress and virus stress resistance. As a result, local farmers will be able to observe which varieties of potato are best adapted to their climatic conditions. The FAO-supported demo plots are therefore a path towards improved production considering the specific local environmental factors, which are of crucial importance to consider amidst a changing climate and are key to ensuring that agricultural efforts are resilient to global warming.
Keeping up with the beekeepers
Beekeeping is part of the agricultural heritage of the Khada valley. There are few local beekeepers producing honey that is unique to the region and important for the resilience of the local communities. In addition to representing an income generating activity, beekeeping plays an important role in sustaining the ecosystem through the provision of pollination.
Four beekeepers attended ADB-funded FAO training sessions on improved production and food safety in the honey sector. They also received protective beekeeping equipment, ensuring adequate and safe provision of care for their bee colonies.
During the visit, bee farmers of Khada valley and the FAO Georgia veterinarians further exchanged their knowledge and experiences. They reflected on the integration of food safety-related practices, the knowledge and skills of which were shared during FAO training series tailored for the region’s specific needs.
As a symbol of successful completion of the educational modules, participating local beekeepers were provided with varroa check cups and refractometers. With varroa being one of the major emerging beekeeping pests in Georgia, the check cups support beekeepers in monitoring the presence of varroa mites, which are already present in Dusheti. Whereas, refractometers help farmers in identifying the water content in their honey. Knowing the moisture content is crucial, since excessive moisture can cause fermentation and spoilage of honey. The provided beekeeping inputs will further support producers in ensuring food safety of their honey and safe production.
Summing up
For the past year, FAO, through ADB funding, has supported local farming communities in the villages of Kvesheti, Arakhveti, Jaghmiani, Benian-Begoni, and Bedoni by providing them with the necessary technical and practical knowledge to improve production capacity and food safety of their agricultural products. With the acquired knowledge and tools, 72 local farmers are now better equipped to ensure their resilience and also market competitiveness. Most importantly, by utilizing the information, skills and tools shared by FAO, supported farmers in the region are now capable of producing more dairy products, honey, and vegetables that are safe for consumption.
Quotes
“Through ADB’s support, FAO has been making a difference for the small-scale local farming communities. Our project has had a considerable impact on improving food security and food safety in the region. Importantly, with the knowledge, practical skills and tools that the local producers have gained within the framework of the project, they can now produce agricultural goods that are more competitive on the national market,” said Guido Agostinucci, FAO Programme Manager.
“We are proud of this excellent partnership with FAO, as it builds on ADB’s commitment to foster climate-smart agriculture practices in Georgia. We are committed to supporting communities, especially in rural and mountainous areas of Georgia, in generating economic opportunities and strengthening their livelihoods and resilience towards climate change,” says Lesley Bearman Lahm, ADB Country Director in Georgia
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With the support of ADB, FAO is implementing Farmer Field Schools in the Kvesheti, Arakhveti, Jaghmiani, Benian-Begoni, and Bedoni villages for the local communities, including the populations in the Khada Valley, with a special emphasis on empowering women farmers. The project aims at supporting them in advancing small-scale vegetable, honey, dairy and potato production, and improving their resilience.
