From October to December 2022, 24 Farmer Field Schools (FFS), which united more than 330 smallholder women farmers, were formed in 21 villages of the Adigeni Municipality by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, through the support of the European Union, under its ENPARD Programme.

Within the scope of the FFS, expert veterinarians implemented a training course aimed at bettering food safety in small-scale dairy production. All 330 women received training and small equipment to ensure better food safety at the farm level.

With the purpose of helping farmers in improving their practices in dairy production at home, the training focused on milk quality and lactation, as well as milking hygiene. Local producers were also actively engaged in discussions about colostrum, milking intervals, and handling and processing of milk, amongst other topics.

Women dairy farmers of Adigeni also learned about Mastitis – the most widespread disease in dairy farms. They learned how it affects the production quality of milk and milk products. The training included diagnosing and preventing the spread of Mastitis as well.

The pieces of training were also practical. The FAO veterinarians taught how to use the California Mastitis test kits, distributed amongst the women members of FFS, together with thermometers and other small items for udder care.

In 2023, through the support of the EU, FAO will continue organising training sessions on dairy production in Adigeni. The FAO-EU project will also hold educational courses in other Georgia regions, focusing on women smallholder producers.

The European Union supports rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD Programme. Aiming to reduce rural poverty, ENPARD has been implemented since 2013, with a total budget of Euro 179.5 million. The Programme started by supporting the development of national agriculture potential. Afterwards, it concentrated also on creating economic opportunities for rural populations in Georgia. Since 2023, the Programme places an even bigger emphasis on improving food safety in the country.