The purpose of this event is to have a discussion about the potential for agricultural cooperatives to improve agricultural productivity and reduce rural poverty in Georgia, and the specific mechanisms through which this may occur (e.g., improvements in economies of scale in marketing, product sorting, packaging, and branding, food security, value chain development). It is also important to identify the challenges that may arise in supporting cooperative development (e.g., upstream and downstream market linkages, compliance with contractual obligations, financial management, member trust and democratic decision making).

This debate is the third in the series of inclusive growth dialogues organized by ISET as part of a partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. During 2014, our discussion platform will be hosting debates on a broad range of topics that are relevant for economic growth and inclusivity such as job creation; access to land, water, and energy resources; quality of health and education services; etc. Our goal is to promote the inclusive growth agenda, provide relevant data and analysis, and share lessons learned.