It is the third consecutive year that the Civil Society Institute works in the area of agricultural development. The project, which is being implemented with the financial support of Oxfam Georgia, aims at promoting the introduction of the intense agricultural production technologies in the regions of Samegrelo and Adjara, raising the awareness of poor population engaged in agriculture, and developing agricultural skills.
To this end, within the project framework the farmers’ groups have been formed in Samegrelo and regions of mountainous Adjara – groups of potato-growers, market-gardeners, and bee-keepers in Zemo Adjara; groups of green-house keepers, cattle-breeders, and bee-keepers in Samegrelo. Farmers of each group have been provided with the respective initial capital for managing the farming economy – in the face of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, cattle, bee-families, hives, and special inventory.
The Mukhuri bee-keeping farming has been successfully functioning previously in village Mukhuri of the Chkhorotsku Municipality. Georgian grey bees having unique qualities had been exporting from here to many countries worldwide. The population had been employed in this farming, but following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the farming had dissolved and the people had been left unemployed and in economic distress.
To restore the rich tradition of apiculture, the secondary school of village Mukhuri has introduced the subject of bee-keeping, and with the assistance of the students’ parents 2 years ago the school has acquired 3 bee-families and has increased them now to 8 hives.
To support this initiative and facilitate the restoration and development of the field of apiculture, with the financial support of Oxfam, on 25 October of this year the Civil Society Institute has presented 3 bee-families to the Mukhuri Public School #1.