Within the framework of the project “SEEDGUARD: Seed Guardians for Biodiversity, Agrobiodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Climate Adaptation” (BSB00450 SEEDGUARD), a study visit was organized on 30-31 October in Varna, Bulgaria.

From the Georgian side, the study visit was attended by the project coordinator Nino Zurabishvili and representatives of the vocational college “Modus” – Salome Makashvili, manager of the college’s Marneuli branch, Olga Kharaishvili, professor and educator of the horticulture programme, and local gardener Mtvarisa Popkhadze.

The event was organized by the Union of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities (UBBSLA) in cooperation with partner organizations – the Romanian Association Global Project (AGP), the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG), and the Eastern Black Sea Development Agency DOKA (Turkey).

As part of the study visit, an international seminar was held at the Technical University of Varna with the participation of project partners, representatives of non-governmental and academic sectors, amateur farmers, and youth. The aim of the seminar was to review the results achieved by the project, exchange experience and knowledge, and promote opportunities for transnational cooperation in the academic sector. At the seminar, UBBSLA representatives focused on the project’s objectives and expected outcomes. Presentations were delivered on the following topics: activities of the Agronomy Department of the Technical University of Varna, experience in seed collection in the Trabzon region of Turkey (DOKA), overview of seed collections and banks in Romania (AGP), and the importance of supporting institutional development of seed collection in Georgia (NALAG). Representatives of Modus College, Salome Makashvili and Olga Kharaishvili, introduced the seminar participants to the college’s educational programmes in the agricultural field.

Special time at the meeting was devoted to discussion on the popularization of old vegetable varieties in the Black Sea countries, after which the participants discussed the need to join efforts and opportunities for cooperation in the direction of seed conservation, management, and exchange. The meeting concluded with the signing of a cooperation memorandum between the SEEDGUARD partners and members of the transnational network “Seed Guardians”.

On the same day, a partners’ meeting was held where administrative and technical issues of the project were discussed.
On 31 October, the participants visited the Dobrudzha Agricultural Institute and seed bank, and later met with vegetable producers in Varna.
According to the project coordinator, Nino Zurabishvili, the event contributed to deepening cooperation between the partners and strengthening joint efforts to protect traditional vegetable varieties in the region.

The SEEDGUARD project aims to protect seeds of traditional vegetable varieties and species, improve agrobiodiversity, diversity of healthy food, food security, and ecosystem services. The initiative also envisages demonstrating an improved accessibility model for vegetable producers – through the creation of collections/banks of seeds of old traditional varieties based on community participation.

The project, which is implemented with co-financing from the European Union within the framework of the Black Sea Basin Programme, is carried out in Georgia by the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG).

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