Author: Goga Chanadiri

Institutional support to Rural Development Policy in Georgia and international experience in this field were the main topics of a workshop on November 25, 2016, organized, by the European Union (EU), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), within the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD).

FAO team shared the experience of rural development in Hungary. Ms. Anetta Szilagyi, Rural Development Officer delivered presentations on the Hungarian practices in rural development, including the LEADER approach, a powerful tool for local empowerment through local participation through the Local Action Groups (LAGs) to set up local priorities and develop local strategies for rural development.

“FAO brings to Georgia its expertise in rural development to make sure that the country implements and develops the best practices of EU member states,” Szilagyi said.

This workshop is a follow up of the intense support provided by both FAO and UNDP since 2015 in order to support the MoA in shaping a Rural Development Strategy and increasing the capacities of the MoA staff.

During this period, FAO prepared a Position Paper on Rural Development. This was followed by a draft Strategy of Rural Development which was submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia (MoA) in May 2016. At this time, The Ministry is taking a lead in working on the strategy with assistance from the European Union (EU) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

“Rural development can lead to an economic capacity development of the regions of Georgia. The Ministry of Agriculture with the support of our partners - EU, FAO and UNDP - intensively works on the Rural Development Strategy which is in its ultimate phase and will be adopted in the nearest future. For us it is very important to share the rural development experience of the EU member states. Their expertise will help us to elaborate the document which will enable an efficient implementation of the rural development policy in the country,” said the First Deputy Minister Nodar Kereselidze.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Mr. Alvaro Ortega Aparicio, Attaché, Programme Manager for Environment and Rural Development, EU Delegation to Georgia stressed the importance of the first Rural Development Strategy of Georgia to be adopted by the Government in near future, and reiterated continued support of the European Union to developing and implementing effective policies in this area.

“Rural development is a complex area which addresses a range of social and economic issues, such as employment, business development, access to services, education, social aid, and environmental risks. Sharing best international practices in this field will assist Georgia to plan an effective policy support to rural development and integrate it into national and local development strategies,” said Giorgi Nanobashvili, UNDP’s Economic Development Team Leader in Georgia.

The workshop was attended by the First Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Georgia Nodar Kereselidze, representatives from the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure (MRDI), the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development (MoESD), the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Interagency Work Group (IWG) members and the EU Delegation to Georgia.