Marneuli
Pilot village under the FAO Digital Villages Initiative (DVI)
Description
Maradisi and Dioknisi, villages of Georgia (collectively called Marneuli villages), are home to a vibrant community of farmers whose primary activities are greenhouse vegetable production and open-field crop production. These villages are home to a close-knit, forward-thinking community, with women playing a pivotal role in agricultural cooperatives, farms, small businesses, and local self-help groups. Digital connectivity is a cornerstone of life in Maradisi and Dioknisi. With stable 4G internet coverage and widespread ownership of smartphones and computers, residents actively use platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook to exchange information and market their produce. However, the villages face increasing challenges from climate-related issues, including droughts, harsh winters, and floods. To address these, Maradisi and Dioknisi were chosen as the first pilot sites for FAO’s Digital Villages Initiative (DVI) in Georgia. Under this initiative, several digital interventions have been introduced to improve farming practices, tackle agricultural challenges, and enhance productivity.
Technology
In the Marneuli villages, the Digital Villages Initiative (DVI) introduced a weather station that measures key agrometeorological parameters. The collected data is displayed on the Georgian Climate Service for Agriculture mobile application, which provides farming recommendations and early warnings based on the data. As part of the initiative, a greenhouse climate control system was also installed in the "Green Maradisi" agricultural cooperative's greenhouse. This system consists of sensors that measure the greenhouse conditions. The data is transmitted to the IrrigOptimal mobile application, which offers recommendations to optimize greenhouse operations. Additionally, Marneuli farmers tested other digital solutions, including the TelAgri web application, which provides tailored agricultural advisory services online, and the Farm Management System (FMS) web application, which helps cattle owners manage feeding rations, breeding plans, and milk yield tracking. As part of the project, it is also planned to install digital insect traps on digital demonstration farms at the Agricultural University. These farms will allow local farmers to observe and learn how digital agriculture solutions can be applied in practice.
Target
The ownership of the hardware of the solutions is given to "Green Maradisi" agricultural cooperative, that also serves as the demonstration plot for the local farmers. The entire community of Marneuli villages is envisioned to benefit from using the agrometeorological weather station, and web applications introduced by the project.
Business model
Impact
The digital technologies such as the agrometeorological weather station and IoT enabled greenhouse monitoring system, TelAgri advisory services, Farm Management System introduced by DVI in Marneuli villages are anticipated to enhance farming practices by providing data-driven recommendations, improving farming efficiency, and helping farmers adapt to agricultural challenges. Through introduction of digital pest traps to the digidal demo farm of the Agricultural University of Georgia, the project aimed to support the overall digital agriculture ecosystem in Georgia.
Partners
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture
Four Betters
Better production
Better environment
