Austrian Delegation visits FAO project site
Editor of the famous Austrian edition Kronen Zeitung, Gregor Brandl and the representatives of the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) and FAO visited project sites and beneficiaries of the Agricultural and Rural Development Project supported by Austria.
The delegation visited Tkotsa village in Shida Kartli where the community support schemes were implemented. Scientific laboratories of the Public School of Tkotsa was provided with the laboratory equipment for chemistry, physics and biology classes, under the community grant component of the project. In the same village, FAO installed a modern water supply system and 14 families already enjoy regular water supply, which has never been a case before in this village. Mission also visited Mitra Winery in Ateni cimmunity provided with equipment for wine production.
Over the past three years, more than 600 farmers received community or individual support under the FAO and ADC project. The project was implemented in Shida Kartli, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti regions, aiming to develop rural communities, strengthen the commercial activities of the rural population, increase incomes and empower rural women. With the help of these matching support schemes the locals were able to solve the problems of drinking or irrigation water, equip an outpatient clinic and a school with necessary equipment, as well as expand their businesses in the poultry, beekeeping, dairy, and other agricultural sectors.
Totally, 10 community support projects, amounting up to GEL 200,000 were awarded to four communities. Funding was spent on the arrangement of water or irrigation systems in the villages, equipping a school football team, or other needs that were different but tailored to different communities to support the development of agriculture and rural life. Individual support schemes were developed on a similar principle, with a total budget of approximately GEL 800,000 in 2018-2021.