Family Farming is the predominant form of agriculture. It represents the main source of income in rural areas and produces majority of agricultural products in Georgia.

During the last three months, the Agricultural Policy Research Center (APRC) of ISET-PI was working on a study about family farming in Georgia. Within this project, we conducted interviews with farmers and owners of agribusinesses. These interviews elicited many intriguing facets of Georgian agriculture, but one aspect I found particularly interesting was that Georgian farmers apparently have a rather negative view on agricultural jobs.

ISET Policy Institute was contracted by UNICEF to revise the Needs Index and upgrade it to reflect current reality. Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Affairs of Georgia, the Social Service Agency, and UNICEF are in the process of refining the social service protection system in Georgia to make it more child-sensitive.

In this study, the role of Family Farming was assessed with regard to three dimensions (economic, environmental and social) of sustainable development. Literature review, SWOT analysis, individual interviews with stakeholders and case studies were conducted in order to define the role of Family Farming in the sustainable development of Georgian agriculture.

This project aims to support the development of business-oriented small farmer groups (e.g., agricultural cooperatives) with the goals of increasing agricultural productivity and reducing rural poverty in Georgia.