Influencing and Investment - Georgia

INFLUENCING & INVESTMENTMECIS ECONOMIC JUSTICE COMMUNITY 0F PRACTICE LEARNING WORKSHOP

GEORGIA TEAM MARCH 17-20, 2014

ALLIANCE AND NETWORK BUILDING IN GEORGIAGEORGIAN ALLIANCE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT – GAARD

•Uniting 19 stakeholders representing following constituencies:

•2600 small holder farmers

•181 private sector entities of which 31 agro consulting companies and 150 processors and exporters

•11 panel of experts uniting 100 specialised experts.

SECTION I: CONTEXT ANALYSIS

• The country is highly dependent on foreign imports (e.g. in 2010, 85% of the consumed wheat was imported). (ENPI)

• 63% of the persons identified as living under poverty line, are self-employed in the agricultural sector (and still are extremely poor). (Dadalauri 2012, p. 37).

• Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (article 11) – Right to Food• Georgia signed the convention in 1994

• About 43.3% of the whole territory of Georgia is agricultural land (MoA 2012, p. 10).

• 53.1 % of the workforce in 2011 was classified as employed in agriculture (around half a million in absolute terms).

• According to the 2010 data, state budget allocations to the agriculture development amounted only 1.3% of the total state budget, whereas GDP share from the agriculture was 9%.

SECTION II: WHAT DID YOU DO?

• Initially informal alliance was formed while advocating for the Law on Agricultural Cooperatives

• Formalised the organizations into one Alliance through forming Memorandum of Understanding

• MoU legitimized relationships among stakeholders and organized common goals into one direction

SECTION III: STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS

SECTION IV: WHAT DID YOU ACHIEVE?

• The legal framework for development of agriculture cooperation system is in place

• A consensus-based, well-recognized and influential civil society mechanism for policy dialogue

• Accumulated , advanced expertise and experience in agriculture and rural development

• A sound mechanism for reflecting the interests of target constituencies and for enhancing the level of participation and representation of disadvantaged groups.

SECTION V: WHAT WORKED WELL AND WHAT DIDN’T?• Forming Alliance fosters team spirit and sense of

common goal

• Dalogue between the government and civil society through the Alliance

• Organizing around specific objectives (ex. Law on Agr. Coops.) gives a good ground for establishing results-oriented mechanism

• No bureaucracy- decision making is based on consensus

• Presence of membership organizations within the Alliance gives better legitimacy to the Alliance

• Accountability mechanisms of the membership-based organization

SECTION VI: LEARNING AND RECOMMENDATIONS• EU backing – both strength and weakness

• How to ensure sustainability

• Presence of efficient accountability mechanisms to ensure legitimization of representation of constituencies

• Assess the limitations from the very beginning (democratic status)

• Organizing around specific thematic area/s

• No formal voting procedures.

• Leadership should be based on mutually recognized experience, expertise and reputation

• Strongly define constituencies

Influencing and Investment - Georgia

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