After many years on the back burner of the policy discussion in Georgia, issues related to agriculture and rural development now seem to be at the forefront of debate. And for good reason, as these issues are incredibly complex and have important implications, not only for those residing in rural areas but also for those purchasing agricultural products in towns and cities.
On April 3, 2014, ISET hosted Prof. Stephan von Cramon-Taubadel from the University of Göttingen, who presented his paper "European Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Products".
As Georgia embarks on an ambitious program to develop farmer organizations, it is worth considering both the positive and negative lessons from the experience of similar initiatives, both in Georgia and elsewhere in the developing/transition context. The piece by Tim Stewart, originally published on www.springfieldcentre.com, identifies some of the main reasons for the failure of start-up farmer organizations.
Until the 1960s, Japan was an amazing place to live. One did not have to lock one’s house, car, or bicycle, as nobody was going to steal anything. Theft, burglary, and cheating were virtually non-existent in the Japanese society of those days. Imagine how much resources this saved, as the Japanese did not have to employ guards, they did not have to install alarm systems, they even did not need to buy locks.
The study analyzed the sheep and sheep products value chains in Georgia, identified main constraints in the chains and gave recommendations for their further development. In March 2014, Heifer Georgia launched its “Comprehensive study on the Georgian sheep value chain” project