Heather Briggs, agronomist, agro-consultant on plant productivity, international expert on cheese and journalist visited Tbilisi to hold the training for agro-journalists last week. ‘Batumelebi’ newspaper interviewed her.
- Mrs. Briggs, what challenge do you see in Georgian agriculture?
- The first challenge is the perception of farming. I think the farming has to be made more professional and has to be recognized as a profession. People must be proud of what they do.
- The Government has started working on developing cooperatives in Georgia. How possible do you consider to develop cooperative farming in Georgian?
- This is a very difficult question. If people working for cooperatives will manage to work as a team, I think this can be a good idea. But I don’t know how Georgians perceive cooperatives, because they were very badly managed at Soviet time and this experience can influence on the development of cooperative system today.
- What will be your advice for improving farming in Georgia from European experience?
- I thing first of all, the farmer needs to understand some new techniques. The farmer needs to be open for improving and see that from using new technics they can benefit and they can make better living. I do not think that to be a successful a farm has to be a big. The farming should be profit oriented.
- How can traditional farming be transformed into modern farming?
- This takes time. You must give the farmers time to adapt. You must inspire them, so they want to learn.
- Who has to inspire farmers?
- Everyone must work together in Georgia for success. I think, consumers, regulations, but I think the main area of information must come from the press. The role of agricultural press is to do knowledge transfer.
- How long is a process of improving breeds in agriculture and for reaching the good results?
- It takes a long time and this is going to take several generations. What you do not need to do is bringing unsuitable breeds from elsewhere. The breed must be able to thrive in Georgia.
- What can you say about brucellosis, there are lots of cases of this disease identified in Georgia?
- Brucellosis is a disease that requires professional approach from the government of the country: to set up a programme of testing, monitoring and slaughtering animals with brucellosis. Your Minister has mentioned positive steps, including considering some compensation for those people who lose their cattle through brucellosis.
- What about the role of agriculture in the economy, do you think that small farmers can have an impact on economic development?
- Agriculture is vital and has one of the main roles in economic development. Small farmers, big farmers they all contribute in this process. I think one of the main challenges is that farmers need to start planning, they need to know what they are doing and for this they need education, information. One of the main sources of this information and knowledge is agricultural press.
- How do you see Georgian Agriculture from the point of view of politics?
- Politics and Agriculture – they need to work close together. Georgian needs to be one team. Politics, economy, agriculture - if you do not works together you will not get anywhere.
- Considering the reality of Georgia, what is a first thing we should do?
- Consolidate and work together.
The interview is prepared by “Batumelebi" newspaper
February, 2015
From the ISET Economist news (http://www.iset.ge/news/?p=4633)
By Eric Livny
The “do no harm” (primum non nocere) principle is well known to students of medical schools. It is one of the most fundamental maxims in medicine, as formulated, for example, in the Epidemics book of the Hippocratic Collection:
“The physician must … have two special objects in view with regard to disease, namely, to do good or to do no harm“.
Doctors are taught that medical interventions are not risk-free. Thus, when facing a “problem” one should consider whether to use a particular procedure (e.g. surgery or chemical treatment) or do NOTHING.
Not surprisingly, this very principle has applications in many fields other than healthcare. And it is high time for this principle to be studied and applied in Georgian policymaking.
For the first time in Georgia a training on agro journalism was conducted for media representatives wishing to report specifically on rural issues and news. The main purpose of the training was to fill knowledge gaps of media practitioners in crops, livestock husbandry and agriculture management and to introduce the basics of agro journalism. Heather Briggs, an international expert and member of British Guild of Agricultural Journalists - was invited to lead a 5 day training from January 26th to February 2nd. About 50 representatives of regional, national broadcasters and printed media participated in the event. The training was organized by the Georgian Regional Media Association and facilitated by the Alliances Lesser Caucasus Programme.
By Helen Bradbury: Team Leader, Alliances Lesser Caucasus Programme
We are in an interesting conundrum. Gender in most places has been written-in to law. Bar a few notable exceptions, every country in the world, has varying degrees of success in applying universal suffrage. Fifty countries are signed up to the CEDAW convention (the UN’s Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women). On the CEDAW world map of Discrepant Government Behaviour Concerning Women, the countries shaded dark green which denotes ‘virtually no enforcement of laws consonant with CEDAW or such laws do not even exist’, are where you expect them to be and in fact they are relatively few. It is the next two categories which disturb, covering the vast majority of the globe, the mid and lighter green, where laws are partly or fully consonant with CEDAW but there is little effective enforcement or spotty enforcement of them and the issue is low priority or hit and miss. After the gains, the laws and ratifications of the last centuries it seems that we must tread very carefully indeed for we must counteract indifference, in which inertia and inactivity stop us moving forward.
Government Momentum Builds on Animal Movement Route after the years of discussion and information exchange. The biggest challenge in Georgian sheep sector – the Animal Movement Route issue has come to the point when there is a willingness and concrete plan for taking actions and reaching tangible results.
The Eco Films LTD film The Road, commissioned by ALCP KK, was shown at the BIFED - Bozcaada International Festival of Ecological Documentary on October 31, 2014. The documentary was presented in the non-competition section and highly appreciated by the audience.
In October 24th the first flocks of migrating animals went through the newly arranged bypass route in Tsintskaro village, Tetritskaro Municipality. Testing of the new route was carried out successfully - sheep, cattle, horses, donkeys, dogs and shepherds passed on the new road without any difficulties. The movement was monitored by the Tetritskaro Municipality DRR WG members and the Tsintskaro village Rep.
