In the framework of the Rural Development and Sustainable Agriculture Project, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized a series of community workshops in Kaspi and Martvili municipalities from March 25-28. The sessions united local initiative groups (LIGs) and community representatives to collaboratively develop Community Development Action Plans (CDAPs) targeted at local needs.
After the EU LEADER approach, four local initiative groups were formed in Kaspi and three in Martvili, each created to facilitate participatory rural development. These platforms will be collaborative spaces for communities to design to design development initiatives targeted at local needs.
The seven workshops brought together diverse group of participants, including women, farmers, younger people, and government representatives. These discussions were a significant step in advancing local development in both municipalities.
The planning process consisted of a bottom-up methodology, allowing communities to define their own priorities.Participants assessed primary findings from the project’s baseline study, identified priority sectors for local economic development, and outlined main stakeholders and ongoing initiatives. These insights will contribute to the action plan, aligning local needs with available funding opportunities, encompassing national programs and donor support.
This isolated effort is the part of the project’s broader goal of improving agricultural sector’s competitiveness, strengthening food production, reducing rural poverty, and bringing focus on inequalities. The Inclusive Rural Development and Sustainable Agriculture Project is implemented by FAO in Georgia with funding from the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC).
