Empowering Modern Research Practices of Regional Agriculture-Related Institutions

Project Description:

PMC Research, in partnership with the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA) and the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), is supporting agriculture-related education and research institutions in the regions of Georgia to enhance their skills in conducting research work in response to region-specific needs, in the framework of ENPARD’s project.

Responding to major objectives, PMC Research is providing training for regional education and research institutions in the regions of Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kakheti about modern tools in research, focusing primarily on agriculture.

More specifically, the trainings cover topics related to value chain analysis and the framework for conducting research, from data collection to reporting results, managing project, effectively communicating research findings, and monitoring and evaluation.

As a result, the project supports the regional institutions in:

• Increasing the capacity of regional agriculture-related education and research institutions (leading to their institutional sustainability; i.e., they continue to be fully operational in place after the end of the project)
• Becoming advisors for regional policymakers in developing and establishing regional development plans (leading to policy-level sustainability; i.e., they will bring research-based innovative knowledge to the sphere of regional agricultural development)
• Increasing fundraising opportunities for regional agriculture-related education and research institutions and demand for their services (leading to financial sustainability; i.e., they can apply for research grants, offer fee-related services, apply for state and other donor funding, etc.)
• Increasing information sharing and improving communication among regional agriculture-related education and research institutions and regional agriculture stakeholders
• Increasing credibility of the regional agriculture-related education and research institutions and increasing their competitive advantages
• Increasing awareness of the environment and agriculture in tandem as an important component of successful rural development
• Increasing number of users of the regional agriculture-related education and research institutions
• Improving methodologies and innovative approaches to modernize agricultural practices and improve the efficiency of the sector