Armine Martirosyan, who is engaged in poultry farming in Kamaris, is an economist by profession, but she was attracted by agriculture from certain moment and decided to try her hand in that field. As a result, she created the "Kamaris" family farm, which today is slowly moving forward in the market, assuming the role of a pioneer of green and organic agriculture in the community.
“About ten years ago, my brother and I had an idea to develop agribusiness and we decided to engage in poultry farming. The decision was not random because my grandmother always kept a small number of chickens, and I was more or less familiar with that business. We acquired a piece of land and although it was very difficult at first, but by learning from our mistakes, we were able to manage the poultry farm properly and now we already have 1,500 birds. I remember many people said that you are a young girl, why you are doing such a thing, you won't be able to succeed, etc. In the beginning, of course, the expectations were high, there are also moments when you break down if the business does not have a steady rise, but in the process we become hardened and endure because our buyers have confidence in us.”
She says that the idea of practicing green agriculture arose from the need to be competitive in the market:
- Studying the market, I realized that the only solution to overcome all this is to provide organic and ecologically clean food through green and organic agriculture. We decided to move on the path of certified organic agriculture and take the role of a pioneer in our environment in that direction.
According to Armine, in the business plan submitted for the grant competition of the "Green Agriculture Initiative in Armenia" (EU-GAIA) project, they planned to engage in the production of organic grain for chicken feed, and in the next stage to carry out the certification of chicken keeping conditions. Thanks to the support of the EU-GAIA project, they received solar panels and a motor block with its fittings.
She says that a rather complicated and long process is expected; they started with fodder, for now they are engaged in growing certified organic grain, and they grow barley and beech on one hectare of land. The tests have been done, the goal is to expand the size of the land and achieve self-sufficiency in terms of fodder.
She says that participation in the EU-GAIA project of the Austrian Development Agency helps them in that process. Within the framework of the project, she was invited to take part in four-month-long social media marketing courses. The project have also provided financial support for rebranding their brand.
Full text in Armenian
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About EU-GAIA project
The EU Green Agriculture Initiative (EU-GAIA) is currently the largest agricultural project in Armenia, funded by the European Union (EU) and co-financed by the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) ). The project is implemented by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The project government counterpart is the RA Ministry of Economy. The Project is aimed at facilitating the development of sustainable, inclusive, innovative and market-oriented agribusinesses․
