Over 200 hectares of land sown with innovative no-till method

In 2021, 62 new cereal farmers in 14 villages of Shida Kartli region of Georgia decided to switch to no-tillage, joining the Conservation Agriculture system introduced by EU and FAO to increase yields and lower cultivation costs while increasing resilience of farmers to climate change.

FAO, supported by the EU, under the ENPARD programme, has been spearheading no-till method as a part of Conservation Agriculture in Georgia since 2019, gradually increasing the number of farmers involved in the process and advancing in the process to a full CA system which includes mulching and crop rotation in addition to no-tillage. No tillage is an environmentally friendly practice of cultivation of cereals when the farmer does not disturb the soil by ploughing, leading to a better soil structure and reduced erosion; reduced water evaporation and improved use of water and a reduced use of fuel for mechanization or around a 30% and reduced carbon footprint while increasing the yield.

This year, agricultural land under no-till method exceeded 213,5 hectares in Gori and Kareli municipalities and up to 50 local cereal producers tried no-tillage for the first time. Since 2019, FAO has supported up to 100 farmers in cultivating over 400 ha with no tillage.

Vano Katselashvili, a farmer from Kareli municipality accepted this innovation from the start. With EU and FAO support, he was able to use a tractor and a no-till seeder equipment to sow wheat on the 10-hectare plot of his farm. FAO agronomist trained him and helped in the monitoring of the plot during the growing period. The farmer says he was able to save more than GEL 4 000 of fuel and mechanization costs with the new Conservational Agriculture solution, bringing the attention of his neighbours.

“When I used the no-till method for the first time, my neighbours were making fun of me, saying that I’m wasting seeds. Now, after I received a great harvest, they come to me for advice and say they want to try the method for themselves. Saving thousands on the machinery services is not a joke, any farmer can use these extra funds to get better fertilizers, other necessary supplies and receive even better harvest,” Vano Katselashvili says.

“No tillage is a very promising practice in Georgia, we are seeing a growing interest of farmers, that produce more and save money. And It’s rewarding to see how committed and enthusiastic the farmers to this new technique are. No tillage also has the advantage of contributing to climate change risk mitigation and carbon sequestration. EU and FAO will continue promoting conservation agriculture methods for more sustainable Georgian agriculture,” said Javier Sanz Alvarez, FAO-EU Project Coordinator.

The EU is supporting agriculture and rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD programme. Implemented since 2013 with a total budget of EUR 234.5 million, the main goal of ENPARD is to provide economic opportunities in rural areas and reduce poverty in Georgia. More information on ENPARD is available at: https://eu4georgia.eu/enpard/