FEAST OR FAMINE

The Kakheti Region is an agricultural, wine region in south-east Georgia, bordering Azerbaijan. It also borders Russia to the north. It consists of eight administrative districts: Akhmeta, Gurjaani, Dedoplistskaro, Telavi, Lagodekhi, Sagarejo, Signaghi, and Kvareli, with Telavi as the administrative center. I visited Sagarejo, Signaghi and Lagodekhi. Sagarejo is one hour east of the capital, Tbilisi. Limestone is extracted here and oil and gas deposits have also been discovered. Preliminary estimates put the oil reserves at 2-7 million tons. At present, 260 tons of oil is extracted per day. It is predominantly a farming district. After the Soviet-influenced “collective” farming, the farmers in the region have strongly moved toward “individual” farming. However, the farming and irrigation systems have been run down and damaged. The town of Signaghi has great tourism potential but the development of this sector is hindered by the poor local infrastr...

The Georgian Journal reports that there is an attempt to farm exotic animals in Georgia. Georgian biologists brought four crocodile eggs for experimental reasons from Argentina to rear the predators in the Tsaishi village of Zugdidi, Georgia. The natural thermal waters in the Tsaishi village was chosen as the ideal location to rear the crocodile eggs. All four hatched, but one died soon afterwards. One died later, reportedly because it could not adapt to the conditions of the local environment. The thermal waters contain sulphur that, the biologists say, hindered the growth and development of the young crocodiles. Local residents protested at the experiment. The remaining two crocodiles were removed from the location to be reared elsewhere (in an unknown location). Also in Tsaishi are experimental citrus trees and giant bamboos. The bamboo is about 30 meters high and 30 centimeters thick. It's being grown as construction bamboo to eventually export.

Thirty years ago, the United Nations ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child - basic human rights and protection for children. However, physical discipline of children in the home, such as smacking, slapping and beating, is still occurring. Pediatric researchers at the University of North Carolina in America maintain that one of the problems with corporal punishment is that it isn't effective at changing behaviour. Desmond Runyan, a pediatrician, says it just teaches them to be more aggressive. They looked at the extent of corporal punishment of children in many countries and determined that "the more years of education [of mothers], the lower the rate of harsh physical punishment." In addition, in countries that imposed a ban on corporal punishment of children, the rates of physical abuse had dropped. "The passing of the anti-corporal punishment law and then maybe the policy, and the media, and the research support that comes with the passage...

The Georgian press is not happy. They are particularly unhappy about the foreign embassies' travel advice to tourists intending on visiting Georgia. Many embassy information websites cite mugging, pettry crime, bag snatching, dangerous roads, kidnapping and even terrorist warnings for Georgia. These "outrageous warnings", the press states, are serious "stumbling blocks" for tourism development in the country. Almost all embassies told reporters that the information on their websites are based on media reports, crime reports, and comments from their own visting citizens. One embassy stated that the advice is not motivated by economic or politics, but on "guidance for sensible precautions that should be followed when visiting anywhere unfamiliar." The report highlights the German embassies softened approach, which they attribute the fact that German tourists have increased significantly. The Georgian Foreign Affairs office requested in 20...

Benjamin Franklin  (2004) is a delightful, absorbing read about a man with a wealth of knowledge and a variety of interests: rather like an eighteenth century Leonardo da Vinci. Benjamin Franklin was America’s best scientist, inventor, diplomat, writer, business strategist and political thinker. With a lifelong intellectual curiosity, he proved that lightening was electricity by flying a kite in a storm. He invented bifocal glasses and clean-burning stoves. He espoused theories on the common cold and the gulf stream. He helped with America’s treaty of alliance with France and the peace treaty with England. Benjamin Franklin, the Founding Father of America, the man who helped shape the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution, was the son of an Englishman. Franklin, born in 1706 in Boston, began his career as a printer’s apprentice at seventeen and in his early twenties opened his own printery and distribution company. From this base, and with a gregario...

In the light of Russia’s devastating wildfires, the loss of wheat production and its temporary halt on exports, Georgia has had to re-think its wheat production strategies. Almost 60% of Georgia’s wheat is imported from Russia, with the remaining 35% from Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Georgia produces only 5% of its own wheat. In previous months, the Government of Georgia planned to increase wheat production from 5% to 30-35% by 2012. Now the situation is becoming more urgent as the cost of bread continues to rise. President Mikheil Saakashvili has assigned the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture to provide a government action plan on wheat market diversification within a week. President Saakashvili has now called for an end to wheat dependency on a single supplier and a single source, and an end to the reflection of bread prices on price fluctuations internationally. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author o...

One million tons of nuts are produced worldwide annually. Turkey is the number one worldwide producer of nuts, accounting for 80% of production. Georgia ranks fourth in the world. Most of Georgia's nut produce is exported to 26 countries including Iran, Italy, Syria, France, Turkey, Spain and Poland. Two new nut processing plants were opened in West Georgia, creating thousands of jobs, with exports planned to Egypt, Europe, America and Canada. The high demand for Georgian nuts, especially walnuts, has resulted in the nut sector making the list of Georgia's top ten export commodities over the last few years. In 2009, nut exports doubled 2008 figures, reaching 18,000 tons with a total value of $70,000. The Ministry of Agriculture says its a record figure over the last four years. In 2010, so far, the nut industry (growers and exporters) is experiencing a good year. The expected harvest is looking productive, with the value of nuts increasing.

Street selling has been banned in Tbilisi. In Tbilisi, there are currently 15,000 people selling their goods in markets and closed trading facilities and about 4,000 people selling their goods in the streets. In the streets, they sell cigarettes, clothes, shoes, honey, jewelry, and all sorts of paraphernalia. The mayor of Georgia has announced to the 4,000 street vendors that they must move to closed trading facilities. The existing market traders called for a ban on street vending because it was harming the business of legitimate market traders. The fear was that, if their markets continue to decline in profitibility, then they too would become street vendors. The Mayor's Office said, "What would the streets of Tbilisi look like if that reallly happens? This is the right way, as they will be able to maintain their jobs on one hand and the environment will be clean and the sanitary situation improved on the other hand." The process of moving street vendors...

Across the River Mt'k'vari (Kura) that runs through the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, is the new architecture of the Bridge of Peace. The pedestrian Peace Bridge, built by Italian architect Michele De Lucchi and French lighting director Philippe Martinaud is composed of glass and iron connecting Old Tbilisi with the new district. It has a 150m canopy roof of steel and glass. Officially opened on 6th May 2010, the bridge was ordered by the city hall of Tbilisi in an effort to create a contemporary design feature to put the capital on the global architectural map. The bridge provides a unique view of the Metekhi Church and Narikala Fortress to one side, and Baratashvili Bridge and the President's Residence to the other. More than a simple river crossing, the Bridge of Peace possesses an interactive light display system. There were 30,000 LEDs and 240 sensors installed within the structure and they convey specific messages, scrolled across the two parapets of the...

For the first six months of 2010, there were 782,932 visitors to Georgia, which is an increase of 36.4% in comparison with the same period in 2009. Most of the visitors were from Europe - 96.2% of all visitors, which is an increase of 35.9% for January to June last year. The remaining proportion of visitors comprised 2.2% Asian (which is 60.6% more than last year), 1.2% American (27.5% more than last year), 0.2% Africa (208.3% more than last year), and 0.2% from the rest of the world (59.9% up from last year). Of the 96.2% of visitors from Europe, 60.6% were from countries of the former Soviet Union in the first six months of 2010 (37% more than last year) - predominantly from Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development and the Department of Tourism and Resorts announced that their objective for the tourism industry is to "make Georgia one of the leading countries on the world tourism market." The increase in visit...