BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 7
By Tamilla Mammadova - Trend:
The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) launched a grant program of 9 million lari ($2.8 million) together with the Agriculture and Rural Development Agency (ARDA) of the Georgia's Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (MEPA), Trend reports referring to the EU.
As reported, these steps are being taken to help Georgia’s rural regions respond to the economic and social challenges emerging amidst the COVID-19 crisis.
The grants are designed to boost rural entrepreneurship, create sustainable jobs, improve the management of natural resources and promote climate action.
The program will be implemented in eight municipalities – Akhalkalaki, Borjomi, Dedoplistskaro, Kazbegi, Keda, Khulo, Lagodekhi and Tetritskaro, where UNDP and the EU are working together to promote livelihoods outside agriculture. Applicants can be based elsewhere in Georgia but will need to show a connection with the targeted municipalities.
The Rural Development Program is assisting non-agricultural business start-ups and growing enterprises with grants worth up to 170,000 lari ($53,295) per project. Additional grants worth up to 30,000 lari ($9,405) will be provided to businesses to improve energy efficiency. To ensure sustainability, all grantees are expected to provide at least 20 percent co-financing for their projects. Applications for the current round are due by 1 August 2020.
“The grant program is a flexible and effective instrument for strengthening the rural economy. It will help diversify economic activities in Georgia’s regions and foster non-farming businesses across the country,” said Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.
“The EU is mobilizing all possible resources to assist Georgia to recover from the current crisis. I am especially glad that these grants will target rural areas around the country, where economic development can be a challenge even in normal times,” said EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell.
The EU and UNDP are long-term supporters of rural development in Georgia. More than 600 million lari (179.5 million euro) in EU assistance has been allocated to Georgia under the ENPARD program for 2013-2022.
This support is designed to improve agricultural productivity, refine rural development policies and create new economic opportunities for rural communities, both in agriculture and outside the sector. In parallel to UNDP’s work in rural development, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is working with the EU and MEPA to operate a grants program to support farm businesses and improve food security.
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