Challenging the fire regime in Georgia

Talking to Georgian farmers

Client: The Economics of Land Degradation

The Economics of Land Degradation logo

Challenge

Large wildfires ravaged the Dedoplistako district 'the wheat basket of Georgia' in the summer of 2015. They had their origin on farms, as farmers ignite crop residues to dispose of them cheaply after harvest.

A dry and windy summer, combined with high yields (large amount of crop residues) made the fires uncontrollable. They burned the majority of tree hedges in the Shiraki valley and spread into vineyards, pasture land, unharvested fields and protected areas.

Actions

In response to this crisis, the Georgian Ministry of Environment is drafting a law to prohibit crop residue burning in Georgia. For that purpose, Altus Impact assisted GIZ in undertaking an ecosystem service valuation to assess the economic impacts of banning agricultural fires in the Dedoplistkaro District. We valued both the costs and benefits of invigorating such a policy, focusing on soil fertility, the protection of remaining wind breaks (tree hedges), changes in hydrological services and carbon sequestration. Financial analysis of alternative uses of crop residues were also undertaken, which included analyzing the feasibility of processing crop residues to produce fuel pellets and animal forage which are in much demand.

Impact

The results of our analysis will soon feature in the proposed legislation to ban residue burning in Georgia. The study was undertaken as part of the ELD initiative and the final report is now published.

Project video

Altus Impact was commissioned to produced a project video, to help communicate the project to policy makers and stakeholders. The video featured animation, face-to-face interviews and background footage from field burning activities.

Testimonial

"We enjoyed working with Altus Impact, both professionally and personally, in the context of sustainable land management in Benin and Georgia. Altus has delivered two very robust and strong studies. These documents now provide substantial information and a reference basis for our ongoing work to promote sustainable land management practices with decision makers at national and sub-regional levels. We look forward to working with Altus Impact on other projects in new territories."

MARK SCHAUER
Coordinator, Economics of Land Degradation Initiative
Crop residue fires in Georgia
Burning off crop residues is often used by farmers as a cost-effective way of readying fields for new growth, but has long-term damaging consequences for soil fertility.
Meeting the mayor of the Dedoplistako district to discuss solutions and extract valuable data
Meeting the mayor of the Dedoplistako District to discuss solutions and extract valuable data.