Support for SMEs > Access to markets

Start/end date: 2018 - 2023
Country covered: Georgia
Implementing partner: Austrian Development Agency (ADA)
EU budget: €3 million; Sida budget: €2.8 million, ADC budget: €1.0 million, Total budget: €6.8 million

The project supports the creation of new opportunities and increase in beneficiaries income in the two growth sectors of mountain tourism and organic agriculture, with actions to support the Government of Georgia’s legal and policy framework and to help Georgian SMEs to professionalise and scale up.

Objective

The objective of the action is to facilitate an improvement of the business environment and the creation of new income opportunities in sustainable mountain tourism and organic agriculture in order to reduce poverty and exclusion in the selected mountain areas of Georgia.

Beneficiaries

400 small-scale business enterprises and producers in mountain tourism, 300 accommodation service providers, 300 other tourism service suppliers, 230 farmers in organic agriculture, 2 certification bodies as well as 76 local villagers and inspectors. Further important stakeholders are the private sector and business associations, the government as well as public sector institutions (local, regional and national authorities), Civil Society Organisations and local communities.

Activities

For mountain tourism, activities include:

• to establish a national quality standard and control system for local tourism service providers including certification of accommodation and travel / mountain guides based on developed standards, 
• to enable national and international exchange, 
• to implement capacity development measures for travel / mountain guides and accommodation owners as well as to establish a model mountain guest house for training purposes.

For organic farming, activities include:

• to harmonise Georgian organic legislation with EU organic legislation,
• to establish a country internal certification system, 
• capacity development for certification agencies, agro-advisory services, training centres, and farmers
• to strengthen farmer cooperatives, processors, suppliers, traders and service providers along the value chains that intend to switch to organic production.

 
Results
 

• The legal and policy framework for mountain tourism and organic agriculture enables sustainable and inclusive development.
• Employment and income in both sectors is increased due to new and better products and services and through better market linkages, locally, nationally and internationally.
• Access to capacity development measures for people and institutions active in the fields of sustainable mountain tourism and organic agriculture is improved and a system of knowledge management is in place enabling joint learning among public, private and civil society actors.