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Projects
Sustainable development of the area of Aragvi Protected Landscape and the local communities
Short Description:
Overall goal
The intended overall objective (impact) of the programme is: To contribute to sustainable development of the area of Aragvi Protected Landscape and to improved livelihoods of the local communities.
Expected results
The programme's specific objectives are:
1. The economic situation of the local population, men and women, is improved in particular through sustainable development of tourism and agriculture
2. The quality of education and social services in the region is enhanced
3. Good local governance and sustainable management of the Aragvi Protected Landscape are ensured, while participation of local people belonging to the groups which tend to be under-represented in the decision-making process is enhanced
Target group / Beneficiaries
The primary target group of the programme is the population living permanently in the region. People who spend the summer season there constitute the secondary target group. These two groups together with the group of people who live outside the region but consider coming back, should the circumstances make it possible, comprise some 5,500 people who consider this area their home – approx. 3,000 in Pshavi, 2,000 in Piraketa Khevsureti and 500 in Gudamakari. A proactive approach will be taken within the programme to ensure the equal involvement of women and men and in terms of considering the needs of persons belonging to groups which tend to be under-represented or whose access to income is usually more complicated (persons with disabilities, youth, persons from remote communities, etc.).
Activities
The Programme's activities include measure to facilitate:
Specific Objective 1: Enhancing small tourism related infrastructure and tourism related services (e.g. touristic trails); improving cattle / sheep breeding and bee keeping practices and the efficiency of fodder production (grass-cutting, packaging and transport); production of traditional and organic agricultural local products; strengthening cooperation among farmers in production and marketing; improving knowledge and skills of local farmers related to tourism and agriculture.
Specific Objective 2: Training of local teachers and upgrading of school based equipment; enhancing local people's knowledge about women empowerment and prevention of gender-based violence; improving education and skills of medical personnel; provision of modern medical equipment accompanied by training of medical staff; improving access to basic social services (e.g. to elderly persons).
Specific Objective 3: Developing a management plan for the Aragvi Protected Landscape and related measures (e.g. guidelines for establishment of an administration for the protected area); strengthening capacities with regards to nature and landscape conservation; establishing a Local Action Group consisting of public, private and civil society actors.
Context
The region of the envisaged Aragvi Protected Landscape is inhabited by people whose livelihoods have been traditionally based mainly on cattle or sheep breeding, on subsistence agriculture, and, to a limited extent, also on forestry and wood production. However, this source of living has become more challenging in particular due to the inexistence of support services or infrastructure in the agricultural area. This and other factors, such as employment opportunities in the nearby capital Tbilisi, contribute to people at working age leaving the region permanently or on a seasonal basis.
The programme aims to address some of these issues based on the Liaison Entre Actions pour le Développement de l’Economie Rurale (LEADER) Approach which aims at empowering local actors to contribute to the development of their rural areas by forming area-based Local Action Group (LAG) partnerships.