Georgia Spotlight Story: Restoring a family's lifeline

Tbilisi, Georgia

Two kilometres from the border of South Ossetia lies the village of Ditsi (42°12'34"N 44°1'46"E), which was on the front line of the conflict in August 2008. Upon fleeing the residents of Ditsi had to undergo forced changes to their lives, with their harvest damaged or completely lost in the fighting.

Ilia Markozashvili, a 50-year-old farmer who provides for a family of three, found his vegetable garden completely destroyed upon his return in September 2008. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) project “Emergency provision of agricultural inputs and support to the agriculture sector”, funded by the Italian Cooperation, is working to protect the agriculture-based livelihoods of vulnerable farming households in conflictaffected areas. FAO worked with its partners to assist households in diversifying diets and improving overall household nutrition through the distribution of quality vegetable seeds and fertilizers to 7 369 households in 22 conflict-affected villages.