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The Vision of the Agriculture Development Strategy of Georgia is to create an environment that will increase agricultural competiveness, promote stable growth of high quality agricultural production, ensure food safety and security and eliminate rural poverty through the sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas.The medium and long term main policy directions are outlined in Chapter 3 as follows: i) Promote equitable increases in rural incomes to achieve sustainable livelihoods and food security for all income groups; ii) Maintain the safety of food supplies to protect the public and to improve access to domestic and international markets; iii) Increase the competitiveness of agricultural production; iv) Promote environmental sustainability to protect natural resources for the future. In particular, the Chapter addresses the following issues: Food Security and Poverty Alleviation: The Government will continue to monitor food security but will also support small-scale family farms through the provision of mechanisms to reduce their risk and raise incomes. The longer term objective is to improve rural living standards and eventually eradicate poverty. Food safety; Agricultural Modernization and Competitiveness; Environment and Biodiversity: Productive but sustainable farming methods will be encouraged by ensuring good agricultural practices, crop rotation for soil structure and quality improvement and promoting low or appropriate chemical applications. A State programme for developing bio-organic production will be adopted and with associated measures for certification at both farm and processing levels. Land: There is a need to establish the legislative basis for land utilization rights and develop an effectively functioning land market. Ensuring secure ownership rights will further stimulate investment by owners and leasers of land. A secondary land market, that is functioning effectively, will simplify land trade and support a process of consolidation. It will also enable more effective land utilisation and encourage profitable cropping. Strengthening Farmer Cooperation; Improved Input Supplies and Services and Infrastructure; Research, Education, Training, Information and Agriculture Knowledge Systems; Insurance and Managing Risks, Institutional and Legislative Development.Chapter 3 deals with the main Strategic Measures. In order to achieve the vision of the present Policy a number of specific strategic measures have been defined for medium implementation and relate to seven strategic objectives as follows: 1) Enhance the competiveness of farmer and rural entrepreneurs; 2) Value chain development; 3) Institutional development and training; 4) Development of regional and agricultural infrastructure; 5) Food Security; 6) Food Safety; 7) Environment and Biodiversity.Chapter 4 dealing with Budget and Financing establishes that the government shall establish a Fund for Agricultural Development that will assist in financing agricultural programmes utilising State financing, private and donor capital as well as considering providing particular tax exemptions or targeted incentives. Small and medium sized farmers will be the target for Government support in order to reduce risk and improve attractiveness for investment.As to the implementation of the Strategy, the Ministry of Agriculture intends to create the platform for engaging the private sector representatives and farmers in order to better articulate their concerns and further strengthen the implementation of the present Agricultural Strategy and Action Plan. The Government shall have short term measures aimed at addressing the most immediate issues affecting agricultural production and rural communities but also have a Strategy for the development of agriculture for the medium to long term and so enable sustainable growth and development of the sector.The text consists of 5 Chapters as follows: Introduction (1); Vision (2); Current Situation and Trends (3); Main Policy Directions (4); Main Strategic Measures (5). This Chapters comprises: Competitiveness of Farmer and Rural Entrepreneurs/Organizations (5.1.); Value Chain Development (5.2); Institutional Development and Training (5.3); Development of Regional and Agricultural Infrastructure (5.4); Food Security (5.5); Food Safety (5.6); Environment and Biodiversity (5.7). Budget Financing (6).
