"I would not call this a change of professions," she emphasizes, "but a creative transformation. When you are in journalism, you search for and collect information about others to write stories about them. Here, I started focusing on my own story, and instead of a pen, I have crop colors, aromas, tastes..."

"Agriculture is not just about crops or soil for me," she says, "it is freedom, independence, a space for bringing ideas to life." The numerous species of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, melons, pumpkins and zucchinis create a nutritious and colorful canvas on her six hectares of land, revealing a story about Nino and her family.

A big part of this story is about acquiring knowledge. Nino emphasizes that knowledge of pest management, climate-smart agricultural methods and food safety are fundamental to her production.

"The problems that we have encountered are due to a lack of knowledge about such topics," she adds, "and this is why we aim for knowledge-based agriculture."

Through the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD), funded by the European Union (EU) and Sweden, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been supporting Nino in acquiring this information to overcome such challenges.

FAO agronomists established a farmer field school in Nino's Gavazi village, where she is acting as a lead farmer and hosting the school on her plot. Here, the community members gather together to learn more about the best practices for improving safe primary production in an efficient manner.

"I started working with FAO three years ago," Nino says, "since then, we are gradually implementing modern agricultural standards on our land."

Nino's vegetables are now grown on raised beds, with the use of mulch, shading nets and a drip irrigation system. This not only ensures efficient use of water but also allows her to manage the nutrient requirements of her crops through fertigation.

"The mulch and raised beds have been especially useful in protecting the crops from weeds and minimizing the need for herbicides," says Nino. "Without the shading nets," she adds, "many of our veggies would wilt and fruits would get sunburned, especially considering the increasingly hot summers in our region."

The Integrated Pest Management practices, taught by FAO agronomists, have helped Nino understand the correct use of pesticides.  

For example, the use of delta pheromone traps promoted by FAO help Nino conduct comprehensive pest monitoring, confirming whether specific pests are present on her plot and therefore which pesticide to apply.

"The delta traps help us determine if and what pesticide applications are necessary to avoid overusing such chemicals."

With all these new techniques, Nino reports, "The quantity of our harvest tripled, while the food safety and quality of the vegetables and fruits have increased dramatically."

In collaboration with large retailers in Georgia, she tests out new types and varieties of vegetables and fruits to see how they are perceived by the consumers, especially in Tbilisi. "The retailers themselves always ask me to share with them new veggies and fruit varieties, even if it is only a single kilogram," Nino says, "to test out the demand for them."

Visual appeal isn't enough for the market — taste matters.

"I have a sweet pepper that is chocolate-colored and has an aroma of a chocolate, which children especially enjoy."  

The FAO farmer field schools are proving that knowledge shared is knowledge used. Participants are putting this knowledge into practice and seeing the direct results of it.

"At least 60 percent of the farmer field school participants have also started utilizing mulch as well as raised beds, while also implementing balanced plant nutrition and Integrated Pest Management practices," explains Nino.

Beyond this, Nino dreams of inspiring her neighbors to also diversify their production. "Along with the knowledge generated through our farmer field school, my village has both the human and soil capital to ensure quite a complex agricultural production, especially of high-quality, safe vegetables."

"If we all increase the production of such products," she says, "our Gavazi village will turn into a hub for such products, a brand, generating much more of diverse vegetables, possibly, enough to export some of it too."

Through the EU and Sweden-funded ENPARD programme, FAO trained and provided technical assistance to more than 2 000 vegetable and fruit farmers across Georgia

Lead Farmers, like Nino, serve as role models in their local communities, showcasing how knowledge improves yield, quality and safety, even amidst the changing climate.