
Elkana Membership
Categories
The Elkana’s membership can be granted to any interested person,
individual farmer / citizen, farmer union, cooperative, association,
enterprise, religious organization and so on.
Members of the Association pay their membership fees in accordance to
their categories.
I CATEGORY
Membership fee is 10 GEL per year;
Members can be ideological
and small holder farmers (owning less than 1 ha of land);
Members are entitled to
1. Consultations on key principles of organic farming;
2. Familiarization with organic production standards and with preparations allowed in organic production;
3. Opportunities to take part in thematic seminars organized by ELKANA;
4. Consultations in ELKANA’s Office, as well as remotely such as via phone, e-mail and the Internet;
5. Field consultations upon the member’s request (for at least five members in a region).
II CATEGORY
Membership fee is 30 GEL per year;
Members can be small / medium
farmers (owning less than 3 ha of land);
Members are entitled to
1. Consultations on key principles of organic farming;
2. Familiarization with organic production standards and with preparations allowed in organic production;
3. Consultations in ELKANA’s Office, as well as remotely such as via phone, e-mail and the Internet;
4. Preparation of the farm description form (in accordance with the ELKANA’s standard form);
5. Once per year planned visit by a consultant (to consult at least three farms per day);
6. Recommendations and advices (in a paper form);
7. Opportunities to take part in thematic seminars organized by ELKANA;
8. Consultations on entrepreneurship topics in ELKANA’s Office, as well as remotely such as via phone, e-mail and Internet;
9. Information on opportunities of bio-certification;
10. Information on opportunities to obtain an ELKANA’s quality mark;
11. ELKANA’s assistance in finding seed and saplings (also, domestic animals, poultry, bees);
12. Opportunities to take part in regional seminars, discussions and farmer days organized by ELKANA.
Note: 40%
discount on participation in trainings organized by ELKANA.
III CATEGORY
Membership fee is 80 GEL per year;
Members can be medium / large
farmers (owning over 3 ha of land), cooperatives, and enterprises;
Members are entitled to
1. Consultations on key principles of organic farming;
2. Familiarization with organic production standards and with preparations allowed in organic production;
3. Consultations in ELKANA’s Office, as well as remotely such as via phone, e-mail and Internet;
4. Preparation of the farm description form, assistance with development of the organic conversion plan, on-farm consultations once per year (entrepreneur / farmer covers transportation costs);
5. Recommendations and advices (in a paper form);
6. Opportunities to take part in thematic seminars organized by ELKANA;
7. Legal consultations on entrepreneurship topics in ELKANA’s Office, as well as via phone, e-mail and the Internet;
8. Information on opportunities of bio-certification;
9. ELKANA’s assistance in finding seed and saplings (also, domestic animals, poultry, bees);
10. Opportunities to take part in regional seminars and farmer days organized by ELKANA;
11. Involvement of experts (scientists, specialists) in the study and resolution of identified problems on a needs basis (farmer covers transportation costs);
12. Consultations on preparation of credit applications, business plans and grant applications, as well as on marketing questions in ELKANA’s Office and /or via phone, e-mail;
13. Assistance with elaboration of a conversion plan complying requirements of a certification body (farmer covers transportation costs);
14. The right for entrepreneurs / farmers seeking the quality mark to submit the application; one planned inspection per year (entrepreneur / farmer covers transportation costs) and one inspection per year without notification (ELKANA covers the visit costs).
Note: 50%
discount on participation in commercial trainings organized by ELKANA and on brochures
and books published by ELKANA.
ELKANA SERVICE OFFER
If a member wants a service,
which is not included in the free consultation package, such as namely:
1. Assistance with writing a project proposal;
2. Assistance with writing a business plan;
3. Preparation of a financial analysis of the business activity;
4. Preparation of a marketing plan;
5. Assistance with rendering a product marketable to consumers;
6. Additional professional consultations (beekeeping, livestock farming, grain growing, gardening, horticulture, viticulture, viniculture, permaculture);
7. Legal consultations in agriculture.
Note: The
service fee is calculated on a case-by-case basis, after identifying a work
scope and size of extra costs.