ISET PI became a member of the Georgian Alliance on Agricultural and Rural Development (GAARD) on June 9th. The GAARD was established in 2014 and includes people from the Ministry of Agriculture, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and independent experts.

When half a year ago, I predicted in my article “Georgia Exporting Crime” that the visa liberalization would be stalled at the last moment, I was called a grumbler and alarmist. Unfortunately, usually, the pessimists get it right.

In May 2016, the average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian khachapuri declined to 3.08 GEL, which is 2.7% lower month-on-month (that is compared to April 2016), but 7% higher year-on-year (compared to May 2015).

On June 3 2016, a Round Table Discussion of Tea Cooperatives was held in Kutaisi. This was the third event in a series of dialogues about agriculture and rural development in Georgia organized by ISET Policy Institute (ISET-PI) in partnership with CARE International, the Regional Development Association and the Georgian Farmers Association, with support from the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD).

In Central Europe, vocational education and training (VET) has a tradition that reaches back to medieval times. To become, say, a baker in 14th century Germany, one had to go through an apprenticeship of two years, working and learning in an existing bakery, where one was guided and supervised by a meister (master craftsman). The apprenticeship was standardized and – if successful – ended with the conferment of a certificate and admission to the baker’s guild.