The Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia (MOA) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with support of European Union and Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) have joined efforts to boost rural development in Georgia. The main guidelines of the strategy will be developed by the end of 2015, while a comprehensive strategy for rural development will be finalised in 2016.

Experts agree that Georgia should follow the example of Slovenia, as the country recently went from small and fragmented agricultural production to consolidated production maximizing efficiency.

Another success in Slovenia is that many young people have begun to migrate from urban to rural areas, which is a trend that Georgia needs to follow in order to develop its rural areas more effectively.

A delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture together with experts of FAO visited Slovenia in the beginning of November 2015 and returned with many ideas. The visit was organized within the ADA-funded FAO technical assistance project aimed at developing the institutional capacities. During the study tour, Georgian delegation visited rural areas of Slovenia, including farms, touristic routes and household businesses. The delegation had the meetings with the authorities of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF) of Slovenia and got acquainted with the Rural Development Programme of MAFF which was developed and established in Slovenia in the years of  2007-2013. Besides, the hosts presented the ongoing programme of rural development of the country until 2020.

“We liked the practice of empowering young people in rural areas, both by providing subsidies and by involving youth in agricultural projects,’’ said Marika Gelashvili, the head of the working group of MOA on the rural development strategy.

Delegation Member Beka Dzadzamia, National Project Manager of the ADA-funded FAO technical assistance project, noted comparisons between the two countries: “Slovenia and Georgia have some similarities. In Georgia, each family owns about 1.25 hectares of land, while in Slovenia, the average was two hectares several years ago. Now, due to the farmers’ consolidation, the figure has increased to five hectares in Slovenia. The farmers who decide to consolidate can approach the state for assistance and can receive many benefits such as access to joint infrastructure, irrigation, and special state programs including grants and subsidies, affordable credit schemes and support with technical equipment,” Dzadzamia noted.

This approach needs initial funding, which in the case of Slovenia was provided by the European Union. Georgia is able to access similar funding schemes for improvement in agriculture through the European Neighbourhood Policy for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD).