In April 2024 representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and the Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture attended a study tour in the Republic of Slovenia, organized by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The Slovenian agricultural landscape has many similarities to the Georgian reality, consisting mainly out of small farmers, with the work of the institution focused on improvement of their professionalization and competitiveness. Similarly, the Slovenian institutional setup in the livestock sector comprises out of numerous stakeholders sharing responsibilities and mandates for data collection and analysis and for information dissemination, which can serve as an example and standard for institutional coordination and cooperation. Slovenian Agricultural Institute hosted the visit, as a public research and professional institution that implements state selection and control works, issues authorizations and accreditations and controls the quality of agricultural crops and products.

The aim of the tour was to increase the knowledge base in support to the development and institutionalization of the Georgian Livestock Farm Management System (LFMS), linked to the National Identification and Registration System (NAITS). 

During the visit, key elements of the information system supporting the livestock sector, such as national breeding programs and in particular the portal Govedo.si and associated applications, were reviewed. Discussions covered details about the systems for recording data on animals, such characteristics as productivity, breeding, genetics and physical traits, adding to the National Herd Books.

The visit illustrated the roles of the various institutions in the collection and analysis of data in the livestock sector, used both for policymaking and for provision of services to the Slovenian farming population; as well as on the management models and various services provided by the institutions and professional bodies, supporting the development of the livestock sector.

The experience illustrated the various options to strengthen state-subordinated agencies, include and involve farmers in the policy development process, and support the competitiveness of small farmers, thus reducing rural abandonment and the decline of the national herds. Gained knowledge will significantly enhance the LFMS's development in Georgia, which is the basic tool for breeding associations and the breeders, creating the conditions for systemic development of the Georgian livestock sector.