This project aims to support the development of business-oriented small farmer groups (e.g., agricultural cooperatives) with the goals of increasing agricultural productivity and reducing rural poverty in Georgia.

Many households across Georgia are engaged in agricultural pursuits. In most cases, these households are producing at a subsistence or semi-subsistence level, with limited connections to the market. The movement to support the development of business-oriented farmer groups (e.g., agricultural cooperatives) is considered to be one way to help farming households achieve higher incomes and productivity levels.

In recent years, the Georgian government has created new legislation that enables the formation and development of agricultural cooperatives. Along with the financial support of the European Union in the form of its European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD Georgia) and technical assistance from four NGO consortia, farmers across Georgia will find new opportunities to launch businesses, engage in product innovation, and improve economies of scale in marketing. At the same time, many challenges will arise, not least of which is the achievement of a competitive position within an agricultural value chain.
ISET-PI is partnering with CARE International in the Caucasus and the Regional Development Association (RDA) on the project, Cooperation for Rural Prosperity in Georgia,” which is being implemented in the framework of ENPARD Georgia.

As part of this project, ISET-PI has conducted a baseline assessment of agriculture and rural development in western Georgia in 2014 and will be conducting further desk and field research in order to inform programming, analysis, and policy about agriculture and rural development in Georgia. ISET-PI will also work with the Ministry of Agriculture, FAO Georgia and the Georgian Farmers Association to develop a system for collecting, analyzing, and distributing relevant market price data in order to get timely information to farmers all across Georgia.