Women farmers from different regions of Georgia share their experiences and insights

Endzela Abramaladze lives in the village of Lower Gora in Vani Municipality. She has been taking care of leased greenhouses for the past 15 years. Endzela grows seasonal vegetables and herbs and employs 11-15 women annually. Last year, the 40-year-old farmer joined the Greenhouse Pilot Programme of the Rural Development Agency (RDA) and now owns her own greenhouse. Before the first harvest, she visited Marneuli to exchange experiences and get familiar with how local women tend their greenhouses.

The pilot programme started in 2022 in Marneuli and Lagodekhi municipalities within the framework of cooperation between the RDA and the UN Women Georgia Country Office. The current phase of the programme is operational in three other municipalities: Vani, Chokhatauri and Chkhorotsku. Initially, for the pilot programme in Marneuli and Lagodekhi, UN Women’s financial contribution accounted for 80 per cent of the total funding, while the current phase is fully financed by state resources. Along with Endzela, about 29 other recipients of the funding in the new phase also visited Marneuli. They were acquainted with the activities of other women farmers involved in the programme and shared their knowledge and experiences.

“It was an extremely interesting visit,” says Endzela. “We - women from different regions - met and exchanged experiences. In general, this project brings me joy and happiness. Not only me but also many other women with whom I have been operating greenhouses for years have started their own greenhouses, and we are very grateful for this opportunity.”

The stand-alone Greenhouse Programme was developed exclusively for women and offers financial and technical assistance to eligible participants to establish new greenhouses. The goal of the programme was and is to empower economically inactive women, improve their socioeconomic status, and encourage and support their inclusion in agricultural activities. The programme provides funding for greenhouses with an area of at least 200 square metres. The beneficiary’s co-financing requirement is set at a minimum of 10 per cent of the greenhouse’s set-up cost, which is significantly lower than the co-financing rates typically required in other existing RDA programmes.

In the programme’s first phase, 37 women from Marneuli and Lagodekhi received funding. In the new phase, 63 women from Vani, Chokhatauri and Chkhorotsku municipalities are participating. Importantly, the programme was initiated based on the findings of the Gender Impact Assessment (GIA) of the RDA’s Plant the Future programme.

The cooperation between UN Women and the Rural Development Agency is part of the “Women’s Economic Empowerment in the South Caucasus” regional project implemented by UN Women. It is being implemented with financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Austrian Development Agency.