RFP: Certificate Course in Herbs and Vegetable Production

About Program:

The USAID Agriculture Program provides competitive matching grants and technical assistance to address identified gaps in selected horticultural VCs that will result in the improved productivity and productive capacity of MSMEs, strengthened value chain linkages, increased access to markets, and improved capacity of MSMEs, cooperatives, associations and service/information/extension providers.

Among the selected sub-sectors with high development and market expansion potential are the culinary herbs and perishable vegetables VCs. Limited understanding of industry best-practices and new varieties of vegetables and culinary herbs with good export potential among primary producers are key impediments to sector growth. Diversified and improved production will be key drivers to achieve higher yields and enhanced opportunities within the culinary herbs VC, building knowledge, equipment, and network infrastructure in the sector. Georgian culinary herbs have been exported mostly to Russia, however, there are increasing opportunities for export to European and the Gulf (Qatar) markets where these herbs achieve much higher unit value compared to the traditional Russian market.

Specialty vegetables (new species and varieties of cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants, artichoke, etc. including small/miniature size and differently-shaped vegetables) are featured with strong growth potential, considering both domestic (the hotel/restaurant/café [HORECA] industry) and international market opportunities. To achieve significant increases in production to initially satisfy the increased demand for high-value products and, ultimately, to substitute imports and expand exports, the USAID Agriculture Program will support the introduction of a sustainable knowledge transfer mechanism that will help educate young specialists and interested individuals in modern production technologies and practices. There is a need for equipping culinary herbs and vegetable producers with technical knowledge and expertise in order to create a better knowledge base at the farmer level for making appropriate farm management decisions and to adopt modern technologies. Currently, no universities or VET institutions in Georgia offer a specialized, up-to-date program in culinary herbs or conventional vegetables production. Specialty vegetables as well are a new direction for the industry with significant growth potential and there are no curricula or training modules in local educational institutions. To this end, the USAID Agriculture Program calls for proposal from local universities and VET institutions which offer agricultural programs to develop and institutionalize a certificate program in greenhouse production of culinary herbs and conventional/specialty vegetables. This program must be developed in partnership with a reputable international university, extension center, and/or licensed nursery offering similar programs and/or having similar partnership experience to make sure the offeror has access to higher-level expertise and modern approaches and innovative practices are duly considered in the curricula.

See full RFP in the attached file.

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