Farmers can be much more effective if they have up-to-date information, on prices, practices, and weather. With mobile phones and mobile Internet, they can get this information when, where, and how they need it. The promise of the Internet for agriculture has been a popular idea, and in Georgia, too, policymakers and donors have begun to explore the options. Some pilot projects seek to program specific platforms for farmers, in order to inform and engage them.

In the first two weeks of December, Georgian retail prices increased. ISET’s Retail Food Price index gained 1.2% m/m (compared to mid-November). Nonetheless, compared to December 2015, the holidays will cost less than n 2016, as we recorded a significant 13% decrease in food prices.

Back in October 2015, a team of ISET researchers visited Charity House Catharsis to donate food on World Food Day, celebrated around the globe on October 16th. Catharsis was founded in 1990 and provides daily dinner to 310 elderly in need. Although the major function of the charity house is to provide food, Catharsis also offers other services like medical assistance, a relaxation room, chapel, rehabilitation hall, library, and café.

On December 13-16, APRC's Davit Zhorzholiani participated in an Inter-Alliance Workshop in Yerevan organized by Oxfam in the South Caucasus. Approximately 50 people from Georgia, Armenia, Vietnam, Tajikistan, and Lebanon attended the workshop, which was rich with intensive training, presentations, panel discussions, group works, and more.

On December 16, in cooperation with MOLI, ISET organized a dialogue on “The Role of Leaders in Modernizing Georgian Agriculture”. The MOLI (Market Opportunities for Livelihood Improvement) project is implemented by the HEKS/EPER office in South Caucasus with the support of the Swiss Government.