Regional Development Programme of Georgia 2015-2017

The Regional Development Programme of Georgia is a national cross-sectoral programme of Georgia for the period 2015-2017. Its main objective is to contribute to more balanced and sustainable socio-economic development across Georgia.
The Programme aims to make agriculture and forestry more productive and sustainable. To this end, it is providing for minimising the risk of a negative effect of solid waste on human health and the environment; promoting stable forest management and use to ensure fair and equal distribution of benefits among local communities; perfection of current legislative and methodological bases in the field of forestry to establish efficient forest management system; further development of current electronic system of forest resource management; continuous professional development and training of the employees of LEPL-National Environmental Agency; meeting demand for wood resource (including firewood); identification of allowable wood cutting; development of mechanisms for diverse use of forests; implementation of forests maintenance and restoration measures; undertaking necessary measures for institutional strengthening of LEPL-National Environmental Agency to ensure effective monitoring and improving of physical protection of forests; and clarification of the forest fund territories by means of state forest fund registration to prevent fragmentation and reduction of the forest territory.
Further, for reducing rural poverty, the document targets to support economic development and create new jobs, especially in those regions where the level of employment is low; to improve the quality of life especially in rural and less developed areas; to conduct labour market research to determine the balance between labour demand and supply in the country; to improve vocational education quality and to ensure access to vocational education throughout the country; and to contribute to the development of high-quality vocational training and extension systems in agriculture.
To enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the Programme seeks to ensure effective irrigation and drainage services; to ensure affordable private finance for farmers and agribusinesses; to introduce new and innovative agrarian technologies; to spread new varieties and hybrids and to maintain agro-biodiversity; to implement cooperation of small farmers (peasants) and their effective functioning; to implement food safety risk prevention and appropriate control measures; to strengthen laboratory study capacities; to maintain epizootic security; to promote the development of the land market; and to support and promote sustainable development of the tourism industry.
In order to increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters, the Programme seeks improvement/modernization of early warning system; prevention/reduction of the negative impact of floods and flash floods from river basins; resumption of artificial influence on certain types of natural phenomena (hail, drought, snow avalanches) and reducing risks of accidents on industrial sites; protection of rural lands from the most dangerous pests.
Finally, the document also includes detailed monitoring and financial plans for the implementation of the Programme. The development of such monitoring mechanism was one of the conditions of the Financing Agreement between the EU Commission and the Government of Georgia on financing the Programme Support to Regional Development Phase Support for Georgia.