Lean Environmental Solutions

Guide · Georgia

Getting heard

For farmers, herders and villages when something bigger threatens their land, water, animals or wildlife: a mine, a data centre or crypto farm, a dam, big agriculture, a land or pasture grab, pollution or poaching. And for spreading what farmers know.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change: check with a lawyer or one of the free services below before you act on something big.

Who and when

Any village or farm that sees a big project coming, or harm already happening. Start as early as you can. It's much easier to be heard before a licence is given than after building starts.

Right now

Right now (autumn 2026)

Speaking up has become riskier in Georgia. Know the rules, so you can speak up and stay safe.

  • Since 31 May 2025, a person or group that gets money from abroad and does civic, political or information work may have to register as an "agent of foreign influence". Not registering can mean fines and up to five years in prison.
  • Since April 2025, a foreign grant needs permission from the Anti-Corruption Bureau first.

What this means for you:

  1. Only say what you can show. Keep the photo, the date, the document. Facts with proof are your best protection.
  2. Speak as yourself and your village, about your own land and water.
  3. Use the official routes first: written requests, complaints with a registration number, public hearings. They create a record, and they're your right.
  4. Before you go to the press about something big, talk to a lawyer (free options below).
  5. Never go alone. Two or more people, and someone who knows where you are.

1. Know your rights

The Aarhus Convention. Georgia has signed this international agreement. It gives everyone three rights on environmental matters:

  • to get information (ask what is planned, and get an answer)
  • to take part before decisions are made (public hearings)
  • to go to court, or complain, when these rights are ignored.

Public hearings before big projects

The Environmental Assessment Code sets out public participation. The hearing must be somewhere affected people can actually reach. In the Namakhvani dam case, GYLA lawyers complained that a hearing was held about 50 km from the villages and asked for it to be held again.

Your land. Make sure your land and its boundaries are registered in your name, and keep copies of the papers. Unregistered land is the easiest to lose.

3. Collect proof: go and see

This is the lean habit: go to the place, look, and write down what you see. Proof is what turns a complaint into a case.

  1. Photo log. For every photo or video: the date, the exact place, and what it shows. Take the same view again every week or month, so the change is clear.
  2. Papers. Keep every letter you send and get, with its date and registration number. Ask officials to answer in writing.
  3. Witnesses. Write down who saw what and when, with their permission.
  4. Your farm check. The LES farm check records your farm, your water and the local climate. Before-and-after records show harm.
  5. Copies in two places. One on paper at home, one with someone you trust or in a safe online folder.

4. Tell your story

  1. One page of facts. What is happening, where, since when, who is affected, what you ask for, and your proof. (Template B.)
  2. One or two spokespeople, chosen by the village. The same few points every time.
  3. Ask, don't accuse. Say what you saw and what you ask for. Leave motives out. "The river has been brown since 3 May" is safer and stronger than "they are poisoning us".
  4. Start local, then widen:
  • the municipality, the village meeting;
  • the regional office of the environment ministry;
  • journalists and the media;
  • international bodies, if nothing works at home.
  1. Show it. A short phone video of the place, with a calm person explaining, travels further than a long letter. The LES team can help with the write-up, translation and photos. With your OK, we can also connect you with creators who give farms visibility.
  2. Together is stronger. When many farms report the same problem, it is harder to ignore. The farm check shows patterns across farms.

5. Big threats: what to watch for and what to ask

ThreatSigns to watch forWhat to ask, in writing
MiningSurvey teams, drilling, new roads, dust, coloured waterIs there a licence? When is the public hearing? Can we see the environmental assessment?
Data centres and crypto miningNew sheds full of machines, humming, more power cutsWho is using the power, and how much? Who decides who gets cut off first?
Dams and hydropowerSurveys on the river, land being bought along itThe environmental assessment, the hearing date and place, and the plan for water downstream
Big agriculture and sprayingPlanes or tractors spraying, bees or fish dyingWhich product was used, when, and with which permit
Water taken or pollutedLower river, dry canals, smell, dead fishWho holds the water rights or the discharge permit? Has the water been tested?
Land and pasture grabsFences, new "owners", herders turned awayWho decided, and on what basis? Ask the registry and the municipality
PoachingSnares, shots at night, fewer animalsReport it to the local environment office and the protected area, in writing

About data centres and crypto mining: mining farms in Mestia (Svaneti) overloaded the network, and the authorities brought in rotating power cuts. Residents protested, and tourism, which many depend on, suffered.

6. Spread what farmers know

Knowledge only helps if it reaches people. Most farmers won't visit a website, so take it to them.

  1. Record it. Experienced farmers can talk, film or send photos on the LES share page (use-les.com/share). We write it up and check it with them.
  2. Voice notes. Short voice notes in local languages, shared in WhatsApp and Telegram groups farmers already use.
  3. Paper. One-page guides at the village shop, the school, the mosque or church, and the municipality.
  4. Offline. A copy on the school computer or a small offline server, for days with no internet (see the guide on staying connected).
  5. People teach people. Each young farmer who learns a job teaches three neighbours.
  6. Meetings. Five minutes at the village meeting before each risky season.
Templates

Templates

A. Asking for information

To: [name of the office]
From: [your name, village, phone]
Date: [date]
Under the Aarhus Convention and the national law on access to information, I ask for:
1. [the licence / environmental assessment / permit] for [the project] near [place];
2. the date and place of the public hearing.
Please reply in writing. Thank you.
[signature]
Keep a copy. Ask for the registration number when you hand it in.

B. One page of facts

  • What is happening:
  • Where (village, river, pasture):
  • Since when:
  • Who is affected (families, animals, fields, wildlife):
  • What we have seen (with dates):
  • Our proof (photos, letters, witnesses):
  • What we ask for:
  • Contact (spokesperson):

C. Photo log

DateExact placeWhat it showsWho took it

D. A short message to a journalist

Hello, my name is [name]. I farm in [village]. Since [date], [what is happening]. We have photos and letters. Could you look into it? You can reach me at [phone].

What LES does and doesn't do

We help with the write-up, the fact sheet, translation, photos and finding free legal help. With your OK, we can also help you be seen. We don't give legal advice, and we never speak for a village or a farmer without asking first.

Sources