CIMMYT
Restoring Food Security and Economic Growth in Central Asia and Caucasus
Georgian Cooperators:
Head of CIMMYT office for CAC:
Dr. David Bedoshvili
E-mail: d.bedoshvili.cimmyt@caucasus.net
Room 1547, TECHINFORMI building, Kostava St.Tbilisi, Georgia
Tel: +(995 32) 335095; +(995 99) 560209 (mobile)
"Development of National Programmes on Plant Genetic Resources in Southeastern Europe"
Objective 1: Conservation and sustainable use of grapevine ( Vitis vinifera) genetic resources in
the Caucasus and northern Black Sea area"
Objective II: Conservation and use of broadleaved forest genetic
Submitted by: International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI)
Duration: 5 years
Goal, Scope and Impact:
The main goal of the Project is to
support the development of national programmes on plant genetic resources in
southeastern Europe. National programmes are defined as sets of activities
undertaken by all relevant stakeholders, which ensure the conditions for a
sustainable conservation and use of plant genetic diversity. In addition, the
Project aims at facilitating international collaboration among individual
national programmes.
The purpose of the Part I of the Project is to strengthen the national
capacity in the countries of the region to ensure long-term maintenance of
Vitis vinifera genetic resources, both cultivated traditional varieties and in the
wild. In particular, the activities aim at identifying, collecting,
characterizing and conserving the extreme richness of grapevine genetic
resources throughout the Caucasus and the northern Black Sea region, as a basis
to improve local viticulture and wine making industry
"Recovery, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Georgia’s Agro biodiversity"
Financed by: Global Environmental Facility (GEF) through local UNDP office
Implementing Organization: Biological Farming Association ELKANA, Tbilisi, Georgia
The overall objective: To remove barriers for the recovery and
conservation of agro biodiversity by means of a combination of in situ
and ex situ measures (ex situ is be funded by non-GEF sources). The proposed GEF project is aimed
at establishing a replicable model of agro biodiversity conservation
in natural and agricultural ecosystems with the participation of
farmers, scientists, local authorities and State and private
breeding establishments.
In the current Georgian situation, which is
characterised by a shortage of financial and technical resources,
the project cannot expect to protect the entire spectrum of plants
important to agriculture that are threatened with extinction.
Rather, the strategy of the project is to establish a replicable
model of agro biodiversity protection that can function as a
demonstration, to apply this model for the recovery and conservation
of selected species, and to leave in place sufficient technical and
institutional tools so that the model can be adapted to other
species and varieties not covered by this project.
Project focuses: Effort on removing barriers on a small selection of those species
and varieties of Samtskhe-Javakheti region that are threatened and
show a potential market. At the same time, the varieties selected
are expected to contribute significantly to ensure farmers’ food
security so as to maximise the incentives for their long-term
adoption. For instance, it is expected that the final varieties
selected by this project will be those better adapted to situations
of scarcity of agrochemical inputs and the presence of unusual
weather conditions (e.g. extreme temperatures and lack of water).
The first phase of the project is coming to its end. At present stage a tentative list
of species include 22 apple and 15 pear varieties, several varieties
of plum and mulberry, 17 medicinal plants and some grain and legume
crops.
A final project proposal will be submitted to GEF by the end of May 2003.
"Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources in Georgia"
Supported by:
USDA
Principal Investigator:
Guram Aleksidze; Vice-President of
Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Started: September 2004
Duration: 3 years
On the basis of
Y.N. Lomouri Institute of Farming
Specific objectives:
Immediate:
Train young Georgian scientist in Genebank management;
Equip current medium-term seed storage facility;
Properly store Georgian seed collections
Long-Term:
Have quality seed available to research and extension scientists for the selection and development of
agronomic and horticultural crops adapted to Georgian conditions
Last update: 4 May 2004
