The Capacity to Learn (Georgia)

Summer 2018

Today we completed our Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture workshops in Bareti.  Bareti is a small village located in the Tsalka Municipality of Southern Georgia.  The Tsalka municipality is located in the Kvemo-Kartli region known in Georgia for its fertile soil, access to water resources, and the potential for development of agriculture. This region is also in one of the most ethnically diverse municipalities in the region.  In the early 1990’s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Tsalka was facing a number of socio-economic development challenges related to the migration of the local Greek population returning to Greece resulting in the abandonment of buildings and property ownership issues.  This later caused property ownership conflicts between immigrants resulting from poor land management.  Later, the region received an influx of ecological migrants during 2000-2008 from mountainous regions of Georgia (Svaneti and Adjara) that were affected by natural disasters such as landslides, floods, mudflows, etc. Bareti is located about 30 minutes by car from Tsalka, the largest city in the municipality.  Bareti is at 1,620 meters (5314 feet) altitude and has a farming season from mid-May to late-August/mid-September.

Written by Abigail Edwards