Our ministry is fully aligned with 2030 agenda for sustainable development

The crisis caused by the global pandemic has given rise to economically and socially specific needs. In unprecedentedly unpredictable conditions, government agencies have been required to act promptly and effectively. The ministry responsible for developing agricultural and environmental strategies has not been left out of the negative impact of the global pandemic. The minister of environmental protection and agriculture of Georgia, Levan Davitashvili, discusses the challenges agricultural sectors faced, the environmental priorities identified, and how the country’s economic agenda changed.

One of the central aims of the anti-crisis plan was to maintain people employed in agriculture. How would you assess the first phase of the pandemic and the anti-crisis plan developed to deal with it? What was the main achievement and, retrospectively, what could have been done better?

The pandemic is a global challenge. Its impact covered all aspects of life, and the economy. The government’s first important step was to respond quickly to the challenge by setting up an anti-crisis council headed by the Prime Minister. Specific situational decisions related to the management of the virus, at that time, were taken. The pandemic comes with a significant economic impact, and obviously, agriculture has not been left unaffected. Under the conditions of a strict lockdown, in the first phase of fighting against the spread of the virus, we managed to ensure that agricultural activities, farmers, and farms would not stop working. This was a tough period for agriculture, as the work done in spring determines the whole year’s results. In the face of deteriorating economic conditions, banks and major lenders have refrained (and will refrain) from issuing new loans. We started initiating several programs; one was the direct subsidy program – an absolutely justified initiative. After identifying farmers’ most important needs, responding in this direction was an obligation and responsibility of the state. Most of our farmers received 200 GEL per hectare. To date, 130,000 farmers have benefited from this assistance. It should definitely be noted that people have decided to get involved in agriculture. We have seen that this year, compared to 2019, 40% more area has been cultivated. People returned to the village because there was more freedom in the village, during the lockdown. In addition to direct subsidies, we have secured guarantees with banks and developed an appropriate co-financing instrument. Within 6 months, the interest rate was fully covered by the state, during which opportunities to harvest arose.

What is the situation now? What are the Ministry’s expectations regarding the effects of the second wave? Are certain harm prevention mechanisms identifiable?

The Ministry’s mandate is not only to encourage farming or promote agriculture. We have gained significant experience in this regard. In the spring, our ministry worked on a 24-hour basis. A special working group was mobilized to monitor food stocks and other resources in the country. The main achievement was that the counters were not empty, prices were more or less stable, and food, as well as necessities were available to the population. We have achieved this through high-level coordination with the private sector. A special coordinated monitoring system was developed. The system ensured that the farmers would not have a sales problem, and there would be no delay in supply. This is the experience that prepared us for the second wave.

Let’s talk about the current sustainable development agenda – What obligations does Georgia have? What do we have to do in the field of agriculture and environmental protection?

Our ministry fully acknowledges and acts in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 9 out of 17 SDGs are under the direct mandate of our Ministry. To name a few: there should be no more poverty or hunger; people should have a normal living environment; we must maintain a balanced habitat, clean water, and soil fertility, etc. The central message is that the earth is our home. In recent years, the ministry has moved from the Agricultural Development Strategy to the Rural Development Strategy. The latter aims to create rural economic prosperity in 2020- 2025 and develop other sectors closely related to agriculture to make rural people’s living environment socially stable, economically viable, and environmentally friendly. Our ministry cares about climate change, including clean water resources, soil fertility, and the preservation of other resources. Our environmental agenda is very complex. In this regard, I would like to mention a few reforms: after many years of work, this year, the Parliament of Georgia completed the process and created a new legislative framework in the form of a new Forest Code, which sets out the principles of sustainable forest management. The main mechanism for mitigating climate change in the country is the proper management of forest resources, maintenance, and forest ecosystem improvement. We have also started working on water legislation and have prepared a new legislative act, which will soon be submitted to the government. We have also developed a standard for ambient air that is fully in line with the European directives. We have launched an informational portal about ambient air available to the public. We have also started working on new legislation on environmental liability, which defines the responsibilities of specific business operators and enterprises to prevent pollution on the one hand and develop sustainable mechanisms to deal with the damage caused by large industrial companies on the other hand.

What delays did the pandemic cause in the development of the priority issues listed?

Naturally, the pandemic has hampered many processes, including the development of protected areas. Were it not for the support of our foreign partners and donors, it would have been difficult for us to maintain agro-composition in protected areas. The Agency of Protected Areas works on nature conservation and ecotourism infrastructure development, as it is a great source of income. We had more than a million visitors in previous years. Funds are still needed for nature conservation and the development of the aforementioned infrastructure. These revenues have, unfortunately, vanished. Many of the reforms we planned to implement, including the Department of Environmental Oversight strengthening, have been somewhat hindered. Currently, our work practice is maximally adapted to the remote working style. The pandemic has had its negative impact, but we hope to move forward with the adaptation stages.

What remains the main challenge in terms of knowledge and education in the field? Is the government going to spend more resources in this direction?

Education is paramount. No matter what project we think of or spend money on, no matter what policy we develop – nothing can be done without properly trained staff. The Ministry has an Environmental and Agrarian Education Center. The center has published 7 textbooks to assist in environmental and agrarian education for children from first to seventh grade. It is important to invite the new generation to become more engaged and interested in agrarian and environmental specialties. Vocational education is one way to do that. We had very few agronomists and agro[1]engineers before. However, we have seen that the attitude towards these professions has changed, and for several years now, young people have been actively pursuing careers in the mentioned fields. Since 2014, we have created a network through which several specialists of the Ministry’s Information and Consulting Services are employed in all municipalities, whose responsibility is to provide training and consulting to farmers. For the farmers who work today, farming is a traditional activity. They may need to keep up with the latest, new technologies and get new information. This network allows us to provide the necessary advice to farmers. The specialists themselves are constantly trained so that the consulting services are of good quality and aligned with that of the Ministry of Education. Our main priority remains to fund various educational initiatives, encourage, and popularize the field.