May 30, 2018

 

 

Gori Municipality: Covering an area of 232,720 ha[1], the municipality consists of 1% urban, 56% cropland-grassland mosaic and 43% forest area. The agricultural land is 61,902 ha[2] (22,293 ha of arable lands, 11,000 ha of perennial plantations, 1,988 ha of hayfields, and pastures covering 27,621 ha). According to 2014 general census, the population of Gori municipality is 125,692 of which 60,744 are male, and 64,948 are female. 48,143 people live in the city and 77,549 in villages. The number of households in the municipality is 38,284, of which 15,021 are in the city and 23,263 in villages. The main income of the 75% of the population is from agriculture. Important crops include wheat, barley, corn, and Lucerne. The horticultural sector is well developed in this municipality, with farmers grow apple, pear, peach, grapes.

 

In Gori municipality, 81,912 people’s major income source is agriculture[3].  Arable land (14,790 ha) is the dominant agricultural land category followed by land under permanent crops (33.4%) and natural meadows and pastures (14.5%). Cereal (6,217), and maize (3,208 ha) are the major annual crops in Gori. A considerable area of arable land is used for cultivating vegetables (2,538 ha). 29.5% of the total arable land is uncultivated. Orchards (9,062 ha), and vineyards (255 ha) are major permanent crops in Gori. One of the main parameter supporting high land productivity under agricultural production is the provision of irrigation water.

 

Animal husbandry is the second largest sub-sector of agriculture after plant production. Animal husbandry uses the considerable part of the agricultural land, especially pastures and haylands, but also require a substantial area of arable land for fodder production. In Gori beekeeping is an important field of agriculture as well accounting 4,596 beehives.

 

In Gori Municipality, key indicators of land degradation are listed below, and map 2 depicts land degradation patterns:

 

  • Land productivity is severely reduced on approximately 20,000 ha agricultural land due to improper irrigation practices;
  • About 1,000 ha of agricultural land is degraded due to man-made waterlogging;
  • About 14,157 ha of Agricultural land is degraded because of water and wind erosion;
  • 233 ha of agriculture land suffer from salinization.
  • 30 years ago, 1,499 ha of the territory was covered by windbreaks, however, 80% has been lost.

 

[1] Some northern territories of the Gori municipality are part of a self-proclaimed republic of South Ossetia (currently under de-facto control of Russian Federation) and have not been under control of the Georgian government since 2008.

[2] The agricultural land of 61,902 ha lays within an area of roughly 135,200 ha (out of total232,720 ha) of the Gori municipality that remains under direct control of the Georgian government.

[3] Census of Agriculture 2014 / National Statistics Office of Georgia (GEOSTAT) / 28.04.2016.

http://census.ge/files/results/agriculture/AG%20Census%20Release_ENG.pdf