Country
Georgia

Local project partner
Enterprise Georgia, Rural Developmet Agency, Georgian Farmer Association, local centres for adult aducation and training Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband e. V.

German project partner
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Donor
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

Duration
01.02.2023 - 31.01.2025

Georgia is planning a reform in the forestry sector to achieve the national climate protection targets set under the Paris Agreement. A nationwide framework for sustainable forest management aims to combat unsustainable firewood consumption as the main cause of deforestation. These changes will affect the ecological and economic systems of communities that depend on forest resources. As traditional exploitation is restricted, alternative, sustainable income sources must be promoted.

The aim of the project is to support the transition from informal, firewood-related income sources to other formal income sources, thereby compensating for the loss of informal incomes caused by the new framework for sustainable forest management (SFM). This is intended to economically strengthen and make the communities in the affected regions of Georgia more resilient.

Tasks

The project targets entrepreneurs in forested and alpine regions. Entrepreneurs will be empowered to develop alternatives to forest exploitation, such as legally compliant forestry or ecotourism. Up to 75 entrepreneurs in eight municipalities will be trained in financial literacy, entrepreneurial education, and business idea development. Grants will be awarded to the 12 entrepreneurs with the best business ideas as start-up funding. This aims to promote forestry and forest management in line with the new framework for sustainable forest management.