CIP-Georgia

Working with the Government of Georgia, CIP signed a five-year Inter-Institutional Framework Collaboration Agreement (CA) with the Scientific-Research center of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) in 2015 for technical and scientific cooperation. The objective of this is CA to establish the basis for a technical and scientific collaboration between CIP and the LEPL Scientific Research Center of Agriculture of Georgia. Furthermore, it sets out to (I) strengthen capacity for cutting-edge research on potato in Georgia and neighboring countries; (II) develop and distribute new potato varieties with characteristics needed for national and regional ecosystems and local value chains; (III) improve on-farm practices and production of high quality seed in the region; (IV) establishment of baselines and impact assessment; and (V) improve varieties that are widely cultivated in Georgia through the addition of new genes or modification of existing genes by genetic engineering, genome editing, gene silencing, to reduce fungicide uses and increase yield.