For several years, the Czech Development Agency in cooperation with Georgian supports one of the most remote mountainregions of Georgia – Tusheti. The focus of this project is to provide material and technical support for the development of the traditional livelihood system of farming including cultivation of agricultural crops such as potatoes and processing of wool in mountainous areas of Tusheti (Kakheti region, district Achmet).

The essential part of the project focuses on the human resources support, provision of selected production inputs, but also the coordination of sales of agricultural products. Local capacities will be developed through training with the target group of farmers or shepherds and trainers who will be able to pass on the acquired knowledge and skills.

Provision of agricultural inputs including machinery for wool processing and soil cultivation, good-quality planting material suited to local agro-ecological conditions and agrochemicals, but also the coordination and management of the local association of shepherds and sales of various agricultural products will help to maintain the traditional way of the traditional livelihood systems

Activities of project include providing technical support for producers of potatoes and wool in Tusheti. Namely it is the renovation and equipment of the storage for potatoes in Alvan in the kakhetian valley. This allows that potatoes can be stored until spring and regularly supplied to retailers. Another activity is the supply of equipment for sheep shearing to participating shepherds and also the purchase of a truck, in order to facilitate sales of wool by easier transport of it from the mountain into the valley for another processing. Streamlining the process of sheep shearing and wool and potatoes storage will contribute to the increase of the income of local farmers.

Since mid-2014, Georgian government also implements a program of intensive support to newly founded agricultural cooperatives. Through the involvement of its members, agricultural cooperatives in main production sectors, has not been established in tushetian community so far.  Thus the third project activity is the implementation of the training about prospects of the cooperative management for tushetian farmers.