The socioeconomic situation of private households in the Kazbegi region – First insights based on quantitative data

Abstract

Abstract The private households in rural parts of Georgia suffer from low income and few possibilities of generating monetary income are available. The interdisciplinary research project AMIES aims at fostering sustainable land use and quality of life. Using data from the household survey that was conducted within the research project in summer 2011, the current socioeconomic living conditions of the inhabitants of the mountainous region Kazbegi in the Greater Caucasus are examined. The descriptive analysis shows that many households are involved in agricultural production, but mostly on a low level. Agricultural products are rarely sold and most of the time used by the private households for their own consumption as subsistence. Numbers of cattle and chicken show, that the households in the sample mostly keep low amounts of animals. This is also true for sheep, although in the past especially in Kazbegi sheep played an important role. A look on intentions of the households shows that approximately half of the households indicated that they intend to enhance their supply in the touristic sector in the next year, but fewer people also consider it likely to do so.