New irrigation project to promote climate-resilient agriculture practice

Tbilisi: The Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia has introduced a new project. The project “Georgian Irrigation and Land Market Development Project” will be implemented to promote environmentally friendly agriculture practices in Georgia.

The Government has planned this project in the Shida Kartli and Kakheti regions in its initial phase. Anyone who has land under this pro “Georgian Irrigation and Land Market Development Project” can benefit from it.

According to officials of the agriculture ministry and rural development agency  the main objective of the project is to encourage farmers to use climate-smart agriculture practices. The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture in collaboration with the rural development agency of Georgia.

As per the project terms and conditions  steps will be taken to develop modern irrigation systems, agrometeorological stations, solar power plants  and greenhouses for annual crops. All of these will be eligible for financial assistance under this new project.

Under this project  40% of the costs will be covered for one beneficiary  by the state, providing a significant financial support. Additionally  the total cost of the assistance can not exceed 30,000 GEL. However farmers and members of water users’ organizations will receive an additional percentage of financial aid as  co-financing further easing the financial burden.

To benefit from these innovative projects  a person must own a plot of agricultural land and registered with the national agency of the Public Registry of Public Enterprises.It is also to be noted that the project is part of the “Sustainable Agriculture, Irrigation and Land Project of Georgia.” The aid will be provided equally by the state funds as well as the funds of the World Bank loan.

This is just the beginning of a series of large-scale projects that will be implemented through similar programs. The Ministry of Environment has already provided financial assistance to many farmers in previous years and its commitment to such initiatives is a source of hope for the future.