ALCP.GE

Programme initiated preparing of video lessons on the livestock sector to improve farmer livelihoods by using internet and mobile technology that will provide access to qualified peer advice on how to maximize income from farming. Mosavali, agro video producer, was financed to prepare 8 videos on the livestock sector, that was disseminated through social networks and is gaining viewers on the daily basis.

Here are topics and links for the videos:

Treatment for Antrax Disease

Cattle Nutrition

Birth of the Calves

Treatment for Brucellosis Disease

Proper Milking of Cow

Cattle Vaccination

Treatment for Foot and Mouth Disease

Treatment for Mastitis

The Road Full Movie

The Road – a beautifully shot documentary capturing the reality and dichotomies of the people who use the ancient transhumance route; the lifeline of livestock in Georgia

Produced by Eco Films http://ecofilms.ge/
Commissioned by ALCP

SEEP Network Webinar

On August 28, 2015, the SEEP Network and UN Women have organized webinar on Measuring Women's Economic Empowerment in Market Systems. The webinar addressed questions such as: What are the main women's empowerment principles? What are the evaluation issues regarding women's economic empowerment (WEE)? How to make sure WEE is measured properly? in addition to providing practical advice for programmes attempting to measure WEE in the market systems effectively. Helen Bradbury (ALCP Team Leader), Elizabeth G. Dunn (Impact LLC President), Laraine Mills (UN Women) and Anna Falth (UN Women) shared their experience and perspectives on measuring WEE.

Tsintskaro Bypass Route - Before & After

The villagers of Tsintskaro village were suffering from bi-annual livestock transhumance during decades. The flow of hundreds of heads of livestock moved through the main road of the settlement, straight pasting their gates and bringing dust, noise, animal diseases, frequent conflicts and in general making their everyday life just unbearable during livestock transhumance period.

The infrastructure project of arranging 4150 meters long alternative, bypass route in this particular village was finished in October, 2014, after the local government of Tetritskaro Municipality spearheaded the movement to solve the problem calling together support from a group including the MOA, MOE, the Regional Government and Shepherds Association which has been working for three years to improve coordination and bring the matter of the Animal Movement Route to public attention.

The Interview with Edward Hamer

Edward Hamer, the international expert from UK, was invited by ALCP for advising and designing the Animal Movement Route and Marneuli Livestock Market infrastructure, also to make recommendations for Georgian wool market system development.

Edward Hamer was interviewed for the Agricultural TV Programme of Georgian Public Broadcaster - Chveni Ferma on the following topics:

- The current issues related to the Animal Movement Route and Georgian sheep sector development

- The positive things observed in agriculture sector of Georgia for last years

The material is provided by Public Broadcaster, TV Programme – Chveni Ferma.

LATEST NEWS

New Beekeeper Info Links Launched

22/05/2020

On the May 20th, 4,400 beekeepers registered in the new GBU database received an SMS notification from the Georgian Beekeepers Union (GBU) on how to treat Varroa, the most common bee disease in Georgia. The GBU will continue informing its members through phone Facebook. And their new official webpage is now online: www.geobeekeepers.ge. Created in 2018, the GBU is an umbrella association uniting ten beekeeping associations and three commercial beekeeping companies.

Beekeepers Union Keeps Bees Moving

21/05/2020

The Georgian Beekeepers Union (GBU) successfully advocated for permits to be issued for beekeepers allowing them to continue work during the curfew. The Government of Georgia declared the nationwide curfew on March 30th, 2020 to restrict the spread of the COVID-19 virus, prohibiting any movement from 9:00 PM to 06:00 AM. This posed a serious problem for beekeepers who rely on transhumance predominantly at night. In Georgia, bee transhumance allows for beekeepers to place hives at different altitudes to capture the flowering of different plants. Starting from late Spring, Georgian beekeepers start to move apiaries to get different types of honey including Acacia,Chestnut, Alpine, Linden. The transhumance of bees significantly increases their honey productivity. On April 4th, the GBU sent an official letter to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (MEPA) asking for the issuing of permission/passes for beekeepers including the guidance it developed for beekeepers during the Covid-19 outbreak. ‘We asked the Minister to mediate with the appropriate agencies to issue special permits, so that beekeepers may access their apiaries and work there, transport beekeeping apiaries for transhumance on pre-determined routes within the curfew conditions.’ – Avksenti Papava, the Director of the GBU. Up to eight hundred beekeepers have already used permits, who are now able to visit apiaries and carry out vital seasonal treatment and maintenance. Bees are transported at night where possible, because they do not leave a hive during night, which the permit makes possible. ‘I have my apiaries located in the different regions for getting various types of honey. I was very happy to hear about special permit for beekeepers, as it is very active season in beekeeping. I am able to freely move to the locations and do not worry about time limitations’ – Kakhaber Zirakasvili, a beekeeper. Guidance and contact information on getting permits and the Covid-19 recommendations have been shared by the GBU on its facebook page. The Georgian Beekeepers Union (www.geobeekeepers.ge) is an umbrella association uniting ten beekeeping associations and three commercial beekeeping companies with more than four thousand Georgian beekeepers. It was established to represent their interests and to promote the health and development of the honey sector in Georgia with the facilitation of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) project the Mercy Corps Georgia implemented Alliances Caucasus Programme (ALCP).

Kindness is Contagious

19/05/2020

In the midst of anxiety under the COVID-19, some people rise to the occasion when faced with adversity and it is uplifting to hear stories about them. As for many others it has been difficult times for the client businesses of the programme, but they have continued to help people most affected by the current crisis over the past two weeks. Ten dairy enterprises with the Georgian Milk Mark www.georgianmilk.ge provided cheese for the medical staff of hospitals in the frontline of battling the virus as well as people under quarantine and locals in the lockdown areas in the different regions of Georgia, who have limited access to the markets. ‘It is now important to show support to each other. I was very happy to see reactions from people, who were very surprised and thankful. I think those GMM enterprises set very good example for others.’ – A GMM cheese distributor. The Georgian Beekeepers Union (www.geobeekeepers.ge), uniting ten beekeeping associations and three commercial beekeeping companies supplied 1.2 tonnes of honey for further distribution among medical staff and vulnerable groups. The Kakhetian Traditional Winemaking group’s (programme facilitated honey aggregator and exporter company) forty-one rooms hotel-complex is being used as a quarantine zone, the company also supplied food to locals over seventy in two regions of Georgia within a social project ‘Care for Each Other’ initiated after the virus outbreak and is now offering online sales and a free home delivery of its products (wine, compotes, jams, including, honey); the company’s webpage Old Kakheti went online to improve online sales. These are a few examples and continuation of the kindness acts that started a month ago.

LATEST PUBLICATIONS

Covid-19 Guidance for Beekeepers

A Pragmatic Approach to Assessing System Change

FAO Bee Disease Guide