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3rd Georgian Farmers’ Congress
141 farmers throughout Georgia will have an opportunity to meet with the government representatives at the Congress and discuss the current challenges in agriculture
On June 6, 2017, at 12:00 the 3rd Farmers’ Congress of Georgia will be held at the Tbilisi exposition center – “Expo Georgia”. 141 farmer delegates throughout Georgia will meet with the official decision-makers in the field of agriculture to discuss the challenges of agrarian sector in Georgia. The Farmers’ Congress was preceded by the regional meetings, which took place in April 2017 in 9 regions of Georgia. The Farmers’ Congress is being held in the framework of the European Union funded project “Improving National Food Security Strategy and Support of Smallholder Farmers”. The project is implemented by Oxfam Georgia in a partnership with the Biological farming Association “Elkana”.
This year the farmers all around Georgia will prioritize the issues related to the farmers` cooperative challenges, market access barriers for small holder farmers and challenges to the access to finances and will discuss the possible ways to overcome those challenges.
This year the congress will be attended in total 250 participants, including small holders, agricultural cooperatives, women farmers, decision-makers, international organizations, Georgian Alliance for Agriculture and Rural Development (GAARD) members and other CSOs. Decision-makers will be invited from the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia, the Parliament of Georgia, and other governmental organizations and agencies.
Georgian Farmers’ Congress represents the unique platform, which fosters approximation of decision-making structures with farmers and ensures dialogue between stakeholders. Some of the issues discussed at the Congress are challenges and perspectives of smallholders’ regarding the access to markets, the available investments, loans and subsidy mechanisms for smallholder farmers and cooperatives. During the Congress participants will follow-up on the previous Congress appeal text, which was sent to the international organizations and government (Prime-Minister’s Office, Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia, Agrarian Committee of the Parliament of Georgia) for further actions.
During the Congress the Livestream will be organized on Oxfam in Georgia Facebook platform with the opportunity for the viewers to watch Farmers’ Congress in live format.
Additional information:
The Farmers’ Congress is being held in the framework of the European Union funded project “Improving National Food Security Strategy and Support of Smallholder Farmers”. The project is implemented by the Oxfam Georgia in a partnership with the Biological farming Association “Elkana”. The aim of the project is to support government of Georgia in the process of drafting and implementation of food security strategy. Food security entails government’s obligation to plan and implement the policy, which will guarantee a right of each citizen’s access to sufficient and quality food in a long-term. One of the mechanisms for combating the challenges of food security is development of smallholder farmers and support of their access to local markets, which in itself will increase local diversified production.
