An intensive “Organizational and Business Development Training Course” was conducted for East Georgian VRAs in Tbilisi. GRDD of GIPA hosted 14 veterinarians from Kakheti, Shida Kartli, Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti regions. The four-day training course was conducted by GIPA trainers and experts in the GRDD/GIPA office, May 8 – 12.

The objectives were focused on management of organization, nonprofit and business activities, practical marketing strategies, national requirements of entrepreneurship and revenue service, calculation and budgeting business and nonprofit activities, VRAs general business plan, among other relevant topics. This event was productive and helpful for VRAs future development. It was the first part of a new initiative in the framework of USDA’s Animal Health to support VRAs institutional development in addition to the traditional technical, veterinary capacity building trainings. The aim is to enable associations to become reliable businesses in the rural agriculture market of Georgia and focused on practice-oriented, work-based managerial skills to eliminate the gaps and barriers existing in the VRAs.

The topics were divided into five subjects, including: business planning, accounting and financial reporting, marketing, basics of IT and legal aspects of entrepreneurship. It was designed to ensure practical application of the learning and to enable analysis of issues in the veterinary field and to adopt steps to address them in VRAs business strategies, serving as a model for further development.

Dr. Debby Reynolds - Affiliated Professor of Colorado State University (CSU) and Mr. Demna Dzirkvadze of USDA Foreign Agriculture Services (FAS) in Georgia participated in this event. Dr. Debby Reynolds spoke about the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), national context of the Georgian National Animal Health Program (NAHP), the WTO-SPS requirements, and on Advancement of private veterinary sector in line with OIE tool for evaluation of Performance of Veterinary Services.

“I really benefited from the course,” said Mrs. Eliso Jorjoliani, chair of the Kvemo Kartli VRA. “We were trained by experts and representatives from established relevant entities of the different fields of expertise. I strongly believe, that such interactions, trainings and workshops are giving us knowledge, experience and adequate capacity to guide VRA member veterinarians in our regions and to support the association business development”.