Restoring Efficiency to Agriculture Production (REAP) Quarterly Progress Report

AID-114-C-13-00002. The project aims to improve the efficiency of agriculture production in Georgia by supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the sector. The project has made significant progress in implementing its grants portfolio, with all applications received, selection and scoring nearly complete, and grant funding fully committed. This has allowed REAP to provide technical assistance (TA) to its grantees over a longer and sustained time period, which is valued by the enterprises. One of the key components of the project is the SME Development in the Agriculture Sector, which includes grants for farm service centers, machinery service centers, and processing grants. The project has also implemented a technical assistance program, which includes individual consultancies, farmer field days, group trainings, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E). The project has achieved several milestones, including the opening of AgroKartli, a new farm service center, and the implementation of GeoFlower and Lomtagora, two grant projects. The project has also conducted a midterm evaluation, which revealed a 27% increase in household income among program participants compared to the control group. The project has also made progress in its workforce development component, including collaboration with donors and agriGeorgia. The project has also implemented a financial and expenditure summary, which shows that the project is on track to meet its financial targets. The project has also made progress in its environmental management and monitoring component, including the development of an environmental review checklist and the implementation of environmental mitigation and monitoring plans. The project has also conducted a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to assess the economic viability of its grant projects. The project has also made progress in its gender and youth component, including the implementation of a gender integration plan and the provision of training and support to women-headed households. The project has also made progress in its access to finance component, including the provision of training and support to farmers on financial management and access to credit. Overall, the REAP project has made significant progress in implementing its grants portfolio and providing technical assistance to its grantees. The project has also made progress in its workforce development, environmental management, and gender and youth components.