On the evening of Sunday, July 12th, four students from Georgia landed in Stuttgart. They are the first interns during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic to begin their internship on family farms in southern Germany.

Due to the small group size, the two-day introduction for the interns could take place in the AKI office in Plieningen. Besides the necessary bureaucracy, the interns got further information about cultural differences, the expectations of the host family in day-to-day life and the work environment. Additionally, they were given an overview of the structure of the agricultural sector in southern Germany. AKI’s acting chairman, Siegfried Schwab, who himself has hosted interns on his farm numerous times, shared his experiences from many years of managing his own farm and undertook the safety training of this year with the help of a demonstration on how to use different work equipment.

The arrival and transportation of the interns were carried out under strict safety measures. In addition to the customary health check before departure, there were separate COVID-19 measures for all the interns, such as instructions on complying with hygiene rules and Corona tests. By doing this, AKI was able to establish the safest and most reassuring conditions for both, the host families as well as the interns themselves.

The internship program with Georgia is taking place for the first time this year. Situated on the Black Sea and at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, Georgia is known for its long tradition of winegrowing. In the following years, AKI will intensify the collaboration with this Europe-friendly country. We are convinced that both, our local farmers as well as the interns will benefit from the cultural and professional exchange. Markus Roßkopf, the AKI project manager, could personally obtained these impressions during an exploratory trip in early 2020.

Specifically, wine-growing and fruit-growing companies are invited to participate in our internship programs in the following years and to expand intercultural understanding to countries such as Russia, Ukraine and even further eastward.