The event was organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Georgia, Swiss Cooperation Office in the South Caucasus, Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia and the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia. The aim of conference was ' advisory services of farmers International experience sharing, I.e. in agricultural extension field and the Georgian farmers ' needs and problems discussion.
Shombi Sharp, Deputy Head of UNDP in Georgia, Olivier Bürki, Regional Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office for the South Caucasus, Nodar Kereselidze, First Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Georgia and Keti Natriashvili, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, addressed the participants at an opening session.
The Georgian government, the farmers Association, universities and vocational colleges, non-governmental and international organizations representatives took part in the conferences, as well as agricultural experts from Denmark, Kosovo and Switzerland.
The conference participants discussed how Georgia can benefit from international experience in agriculture extension and what information and skills are most in-demand to Georgian farmers. They also reviewed different models of agriculture extension as well as the standards of professional qualification required for the extension officers
International experts and representatives of the donor organizations shared their vision of agriculture extension as a driving force of agriculture development in the country; while representatives of the Government, civil society and educational institutions focused on the main developmental trends and challenges of agriculture in Georgia.
On 8 and 9 December the conference will be followed by a practical workshop and field trip to the region of Tskheta-Mtianeti to visit vocational education and training centres and demonstration agriculture plots.