E-Newsletter Issue #26, 2017

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS REPRESENTATION IN

AGROMETEOROLOGY stations which use weather data (air ten parameters every hour: air temperature, air humidity, etc.) to temperature, atmospheric STATIONS TO ADVISE forecast the dates on which the risk of precipitation, relative humidity, FARMERS IN spreading diseases to plants is high. atmospheric pressure, speed of wind,

This will help farmers apply treatment wind direction, soil temperature, soil to plants efficiently according to humidity, leaf humidity and sun ©FAO weather conditions. radiation. “Weather is especially important in agriculture. The same weather factors affect the plant differently in its various vegetative stages. For this reason, it From May, 8,000 Kakhetian farmers is necessary to know what the will receive free messages weather conditions are at each stage recommending when, what kind, and of the plants’ development and how how much treatment they should the plants react to them. The ©FAO apply to their crops based on the risk information obtained from the The National Food Agency (NFA) of of spreading disease. These agrometeorological stations will allow the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia recommendations will be based on the farmer to save time and money is responsible for the weather stations information obtained from 22 Austrian and receive high quality, healthy agrarian meteorology stations and the analysis and dissemination of crop,” said Mamuka Meskhi, Assistant the information received from them. installed in agricultural plots in all FAO Representative in Georgia. The information received from each eight municipalities of Kakheti. meteorology station will be accurately Food and Agriculture Organization of processed by the NFA and the United Nations (FAO), with disseminated within the farmers from financial support from the Austrian 57 villages in Kakheti. Development Cooperation (ADC) and “With the help of the agrometeorology European Union’s Comprehensive stations we can forecast vegetable, Institutional Building programme (CIB), implemented a pilot project in the ©FAO cereal and fruit plant diseases. We will Kakheti region. The aim of the project Each meteorology station has ten send this information to the owners of the agricultural plots located within a was to create a network of weather sensors and measures the following five kilometer radius from each infrastructure and training for potential training. The course covered rural weather station and they will plan the tourism service providers were also tourism and guesthouse operation plant treatment accordingly,” said provided. standards, marketing and business Nikoloz Meskhi, Head of the Plant plan development, and ecotourism Protection Department of the NFA. principles. The information meetings and “The pilot project shows the great presentations of the agrometeorology potential for Eco-tourism in Georgia stations were held in all the eight and how rural tourism could be municipalities of Kakheti. The farmers established and promoted,” said FAO

were informed about the benefits of Representative in Georgia Raimund the new agro meteorology system Jehle. “The focus is on income which will be further expanded by the ©FAO diversification in rural areas, and ministry of Agriculture of Georgia. Three touristic routes were identified – reduction of rural poverty, by one for hiking, one for bicycle touring, empowering the rural population and and one for automobile touring. The developing tourism service facilities. GEORGIA BETS ON routes were laid out to include most of This will positively influence rural development in Georgia.” AGRITOURISM FOR SCENIC the important cultural and environmental points of interest in REGION Tsalka – the famous Dashbash canyon, 22 cultural heritage sites including churches dating back as early as the 11th century, and guest houses and farms offering products for tourists.

The three routes with their various tourist attractions were plotted on a Georgia’s southern Tsalka region map. Information boards were ©FAO looks forward to welcoming tourists, installed in Tsalka’s municipal centre. Tourism development activities in drawn by the area’s unique natural Tsalka are part of FAO’s Regional To make excursions more convenient beauty and cultural monuments. An Initiative 1 and contribute to its and safe, Global Positioning System FAO project financed by Austria has strategic objective on reducing rural (GPS) coordinates were elaborated been working with local and national poverty. They also contribute to for each route. These include the trails authorities as Tsalka prepares to host United Nations Sustainable and roads, attractions and facilities, agritourists and ecotourists. Development Goals 1 and 8 – the cultural and natural monuments, lakes, elimination of poverty, and decent During 2016, areas for support were waterfalls, canyons, camping sites, work and economic growth, identified with the help of a “local and sources of potable water. initiative group” with representatives respectively. Enhancing the capacity of the area’s of the local population and both tourism sector was another dimension private and nongovernmental sectors. of the programme. Some 25 potential The group analyzed the needs of local IDPS GRANTED WITH tourism service providers – 12 women people and decided that Tsalka’s eye- and 13 men – from 13 different CULTIVATORS catching natural landscapes and villages of Tsalka municipality hospitable farmers were a good More than 200 IDP families have attended three days of intensive foundation for developing agritourism received small grants under the EU- and ecotourism in the municipality. funded and supported project Equal Economic Opportunities for IDPs. Under a project entitled “Capacity Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Development of Agriculture of Kvirikashvili believes that the project Georgia,” funded by the Austrian will improve socio-economic Development Agency, FAO’s team in conditions of Internally-Displaced

Georgia recently completed work on Persons (IDPs). the Tsalka Tourism Development

©FAO “We are not only assisting IDPs with Strategy and Action Plan (2016-2021). Improvements to tourism housing but also making sure they

have a source of income to launch Following the Georgian-Russian At the meeting, the legal and their own small businesses, go conflict in 2008, the project has institutional frameworks for the through professional training and find provided livelihoods support and management of wildlife, hunting and jobs,” the Prime Minister said at a socio-economic empowerment of fishery were discussed. Participants government meeting. IDPs through the co-funding of reviewed those legal norms that economic opportunities. The final directly or indirectly affect the phase of the EU/FAO programme was exploitation of the fauna and the launched in 2016. The Equal Access institutional environment linked to it. of IDPs to Economic Opportunities Rezo Bezhasvili, the Director of project targets the most vulnerable National Nursery, discussed Georgia’s E-Newsletter groups of IDPs: single Issue parents #1, January with wildlife 2015 resource policy. He talked minors, households with the members

about the ways of sustainable with disabilities, and youth and elderly development of fauna species and

©FAO led households. how to overcome problems related to Six more IDP families were given with The targeted internally displaced existing hunting practices. During the roto-cultivators recently. Grigol persons from the Russian-occupied project, an optimal model for Giorgadze, the First Deputy Minister regions of Georgia -- and sustainable wildlife management that of Internally Displaced Persons from Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) -- can includes the hunting sector will be the Occupied Territories, receive up to 5,000 GEL in cost created for Georgia on the basis of an Accommodation and Refugees of shared grants to invest in their analysis of the best European models.

Georgia, congratulated the agricultural and rural income beneficiaries and stressed the generating activities. The project is importance of providing economic being implemented nationwide and ©FAO support to the IDPs. will continue until December 31, 2017. With the support of the European Applications are being accepted until Union (EU), 810,000 USD have been end of September 2017. allocated to assist the most vulnerable IDPs to co-fund their agricultural APACITY UILDING FOR activities and to develop micro C B entrepreneurship initiatives. The SUSTAINABLE WILDLIFE In agreement with the interested recipients of the cultivators were the MANAGEMENT parties, land will be selected for a pilot IDPs from Mtskheta-Mtianeti and hunting farm. The fauna of the regions. Under the selected territory will be inventoried direction of the Application Review based on European methodology and Commission of the EU-funded FAO a plan for managing the farm will be project, implemented by the IDP designed. For capacity building Livelihood Agency, a total of 249 purposes, special targeted trainings grant applicants have been financed will be provided to the institutions

up to now. linked to sustainable wildlife ©FAO management (centrally, as well as on Gigla Agulisvhili, the Minister of local level), including both the local Environment and Natural Resources population and the private sector. Protection, welcomed the first meeting Representatives of the Parliaments of a new two-year joint project of the Committee for Environment and Ministry and FAO: Capacity Building Natural Resources Protection, for Sustainable Wildlife Management. nongovernmental organizations and international organizations attended ©FAO the meeting.

6, Marshall Gelovani Avenue, Tbilisi, Georgia 5, Radiani Street, Tbilisi, Georgia +995 32 2359440 +995 32 2227705, +995 32 2226776 http://www.fao.org/georgia

© FAO, 2017 EN/1/07.17

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