With the EU support, 5 successful women from the Keda Local Action Group participated in the international events taking place in Yerevan. On September 14-15 Armenia’s capital hosted the conference “Women in Agriculture” and the “Harvest Festival of Rural Life and Traditions”. Up to 100 women from different countries attended events dedicated to the women empowerment in agriculture.
The EU ENPARD-supported Keda LEADER project was presented at the conference by CENN. A local entrepreneur from the Keda municipality Tamar Baladze shared her success story and future plans on raspberry production with the Armenian women. On the second day, different products from the mountainous Adjara, such as wine, honey, jams, nuts, cheese, and spices were exhibited and sold at the Harvest Festival.
Besides official festival events, women had an opportunity to visit organic farm and Green Center operated by Green Lane NGO on the outskirts of Yerevan city.In addition, on the way back to Georgia, participants visited village of Khashtarak, where one of the ENPARD Armenia beneficiaries hosted Georgian women at her raspberry garden and shared her experience about joining the Rural Women Council (RWC) established under the joint efforts of CENN and Green Lane in the framework of the project “Strengthening and Engagement of Rural Women in Natural Resources Management in the South Caucasus Countries”.
The further plans of the Keda LEADER program in regard to women empowerment in Keda municipality include trainings, seminars, exchange visits, and other capacity-building activities in line with the Local Development Strategy of Keda.
The EU-supported ENPARD project is implemented by CENN in partnership with the Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG), Institute of Democracy (IoD) and the Austrian Institute for Regional Studies and Spatial Planning (ÖIR). The project aims to diversify local economic activities, improve the investment climate, and empower competitive agricultural and environmental practices in Keda Municipality via bottom-up strategic planning in rural development.
The EU is supporting agriculture and rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD Programme. Implemented since 2013 with a total budget of EUR 179.5 million, the main goal of ENPARD is to reduce rural poverty in Georgia. The first phase of ENPARD in Georgia focused on developing the potential of agriculture. The second and third phases of ENPARD focus on creating economic opportunities for rural populations that go beyond agricultural activities. More information on ENPARD is available at: www.enpard.ge.
