The advent of globalization in recent decades has had a profound impact on the development path of countries around the globe. The rapid development of ICT technologies coupled with global tendencies to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers since WWII made possible economic integration between countries on the scale never imagined before.

The emergence of GVC, global value chains, around more than two decades ago transformed the way economists think about countries’ comparative advantage and specialization in production. It has also transformed the understanding of what it takes for a country to be successfully integrated into world trade networks and derive maximum benefit from global trade.

This paper is the first to create a comprehensive mapping of the Global and Regional Value Chain participation for Georgia and other CAREC region countries using the Eora Multi-Regional Input-Output Model (MRIO). The paper was written with support from the CAREC Think Tank Network Research Grant.

The cultivation of berries is becoming increasingly popular among farmers in Georgia. The necessity of diversification in agricultural production and opportunities in the EU market have led farmers and the state to placing greater focus on the sector.

Land O'Lakes International Development is leading an innovative, demand-driven Safety and Quality Investment in Livestock (SQIL) project to improve food safety and quality within Georgia’s dairy and beef value chains. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (via Food for Progress) and aims to reduce losses, improve food safety and quality from farm to fork, and to boost competitiveness, productivity, and trade within the Georgian dairy and beef market systems.