Georgia Agricultural Risk Reduction Program

Georgia

Overview 

The one-year, $19.5 million USAID-funded Georgia Agricultural Risk Reduction Program (GARRP) (2008-2009) impacted the needs of roughly 40,000 farm families in their recovery from the economic impact of the Georgian-Russian conflict. The project addressed crucial food security and income generation issues in the affected communities of the Gori, Kareli, and Kaspi districts. 

Impact

• 39,639 beneficiary families received paper and electronic vouchers, including 2,196 IDP families (representing almost 120,000 individuals)
• 36,121 hectares of agricultural land produced crops, including delivery of inputs and machinery services for 24,449 hectares of arable land and plant protection products for 11,672 hectares of orchards
• 17,928 orchard beneficiary families received electronic voucher cards via the implementation of an electronic voucher card system, allowing them to purchase more than $5.8 million of plant protection products
• 192 trainings organized on crop production, plant protection, pest diagnosis, pesticide safety, and post-harvest handling for 11,810 program beneficiaries
• 162,191 voucher coupons and electronic voucher cards printed, distributed, and reimbursed, with a total cash value of $10.3 million
  193 machinery owners and private input distributors mobilized to deliver goods and services to program beneficiaries
• $16.4 million injected into the local agricultural economy (out of a total program cost of $19.5 million) through program purchase of inputs and services from private sector partners

Through GARRP, CNFA provided livelihood assistance to local farmers, as well as resettled internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had been issued agricultural land, to ensure successful spring crop planting and orchard assistance. In addition, CNFA operated a three-track voucher system for corn, orchards, and winter wheat. 

Approach 

• Improved Yields: Vouchers for seed, fertilizer, and machinery were distributed to more than 10,000 farm families, including 2,300 IDP families. CNFA mobilized local machinery service providers and organized the provision of plowing, cultivation, planting, and fertilizer application services. 
• Provided Electronic Voucher Cards: More than 17,900 farm families received electronic voucher cards for orchard inputs to be used in eight retail locations, modernizing orchard production. 
• Supported Farmers in Harvesting Winter Wheat: The third prong of the voucher program targeted families either late in receiving land or whose land had been recently decontaminated from unexploded ordinances. This component distributed vouchers for seed and machinery services for 700 IDP families and 2,670 farm families. 

By winter 2009, the wheat planted at the beginning of GARRP was fully harvested, adding up to more than 41,000 metric tons and worth $10.1 million for program beneficiaries. Not only did this represent a vital return to self-sufficiency for the 7,862 wheat beneficiaries, but due to the failure of the wheat harvest in the east of the country, the total yield amounted to two-thirds of the total Georgian wheat harvest for the year, making it critical for the food security of the country. 

In the last phase of the program, 32,000 farm families received vouchers to plant 2,750 hectares of winter wheat and 12,650 hectares of wheat fertilizer. Over 95,000 individuals benefited from the final phase, representing the completion of delivery of critical livelihood support to every farm and IDP family affected by the conflict.