Georgia: Building a Stronger Democracy Through Economic Development

Georgia is still trying to find its place in the international arena since the dissipation of the Soviet Union more than twenty years ago. Changes in Georgia’s government after the Rose Revolution in 2003 and an increasingly unresponsive bureaucracy have left a shaky civil society and an impoverished rural population.

The 2008 conflict with Russia over the separatist areas of Abkhazia and South Ossetia led to unresolved disputes over borders and trade, and continuous conflict and trepidation within the nation; ethnic tension, damaged infrastructure and a perpetual struggling poor population are the consequences. More than 30 percent of the country’s population lives below the poverty line and more than 50 percent depends upon agricultural work to survive.

Mercy Corps has been working in Georgia for over ten years. Our projects have been focused on agricultural market development, supporting the creation of Rural Market Linkage Centers, and facilitating civil society and local government capacity building and economic growth. Mercy Corps works with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with practical experience and knowledge in the agricultural and market development environments within our project regions. Combined with our own experience working with rural development programs, we are able to ensure that individuals, families, and local leaders improve their skills and have better access to information and technology.

Rural Economic Development
Mercy Corps adapts to the ever-evolving situation in Georgia to meet local people’s needs. We work in high-poverty areas, such as the Samske-Javakheti Region, where 67 percent of the population lives in poverty and farmers struggle due to ethnic discrimination, small production capabilities, low quality goods and an inability to participate in market activities. Mercy Corps trains community leaders and small-scale livestock producers in improving business practices, animal care, food safety, hygiene and budgeting. We also work with intermediaries and processors to improve local market access and terms of trade for small-scale farmers.

Disaster Preparedness
Given the difficult political and economic situation in Georgia, recovery from natural disasters is long and arduous, and the government is unable to provide robust disaster prevention and preparedness training, particularly in poor rural areas. To minimize the devastation caused when a disaster strikes, Mercy Corps is educating Georgians in disaster preparedness, training government and civil society representatives to identify and prioritize disaster risk reduction techniques, and working with community groups and farmers to grow a robust and durable agricultural sector more resilient to natural disasters.