Development of pasture management plans has started in the Akhaltsikhe municipality as part of the Dairy Farming Modernization and Market Access (DIMMA) program
Giorgi Misheladze, the Chairman of the National Agency for Sustainable Land Management and Land Use Monitoring, participated in a meeting organized by the Caucasus Regional Environmental Center (REC - Caucasus). The meeting was also attended by Ilya Zardiashvili, Deputy Mayor of the Akhaltsikhe Municipality, Sophiko Akhobadze, Director of the Caucasus Regional Environmental Center, and representatives of pilot villages.
Work on preparing pasture management plans for 15 villages has already begun. During the meeting, participants discussed necessary measures to be taken in collaboration with key stakeholders. Central to the discussion was the active involvement of the rural community in improving pasture management using the proposed model, along with the readiness of the local community to participate. A separate meeting was held with livestock breeders of the Agara community within the Akhaltsikhe municipality to address these pertinent issues.
It should be noted that the project encompasses the identification of pastures in the vicinity of villages that are used by the local population. With the involvement of relevant stakeholders, pastures will be assessed, and measures to improve them will be established. Rural pasture management plans involve the identification of village-level beneficiaries, description of pasture conditions, determination of pasture restoration measures, including the introduction of rotational grazing, weed control, anti-erosion measures, and seeding operations, as well as creation of a livestock watering system and the planting of shade trees. These management plans will be developed in consultation with the local population.
