The "Women in Green Agriculture" PI campaign, which has been carried out this year within the framework of the "EU-Green Agriculture Initiative in Armenia" (EU-GAIA) project, was summarized under the slogan “I have succeeded, keep up the success.” The campaign aimed to value the role of rural women in agricultural development and their contribution to it. The final event took place at the “Ibis” hotel in Yerevan on December 15. It was organized by the joint efforts of the Austrian Development Agency and the Women's Information and Analysis Network (WomenNet.am). The event was attended by representatives of the RA government, the Austrian Embassy in Armenia, the European Union and the EU-GAIA project, as well as by female beneficiaries of the EU-GAIA project and other successful women entrepreneurs in the field of green agriculture.
Antonis Tsamoulis, member of the European Union delegation to Armenia, International Aid/Cooperation Officer, Klaus Kapper, head of the technical cooperation coordinating office of the Austrian Embassy in Yerevan, and Pascal Bokkers, Austrian Development Agency, head of the EU-Green Agriculture Initiative project, made opening remarks at the meeting.
Antonis Tsamoulis, member of the European Union delegation to Armenia responsible for international aid/cooperation noted in his speech that the participation of women in the field of agriculture makes up a significant percentage, but the potential of women is still not fully utilized.
“One of the primary goals of the European Union is to create favorable conditions for expanding women's participation in agriculture. Women have great potential to transform agriculture, to have more sustainable and modern agriculture and more competitive and quality products on the international market,” said Antonis Tsamoulis.
Klaus Kapper, Head of the Technical Cooperation Coordinating Office of the Austrian Embassy in Yerevan, was impressed by the success stories of women engaged in agriculture as a result of their hard and dedicated work.
“We are witnessing the successful experience and innovation that women bring to the field of agriculture,” Klaus Kapper mentioned in his speech.
In his speech, the head of the "EU-Green Agriculture Initiative" project of the Austrian Development Agency Pascal Bockers emphasized the importance of providing equal opportunities for involvement of women.
“I am glad that with our project we have supported the active participation of women working in the rural sector. From the beginning, we decided to take into account the needs of women and, taking them into account, provide equal opportunities for women and men,” said Pascal Bokkers.
Presenting the policy brief "Gender Equality in Sustainable Agriculture", gender expert Jina Sargizova highlighted the role of women in green sustainable agriculture.
“We must be able to show people that women are important actors in this field, and for the development of the field we need equal participation of women and men with equal rights and opportunities. That's why we need to show the success that women can have in this field. For this very purpose, a campaign was initiated, the slogan of which is "I have succeeded, keep up the success", said Jina Sargizova.
During the event, presented were the success stories of women beneficiaries of the "EU-Green Agriculture Initiative in Armenia" project, which were featured on the Women in Green Agriculture platform of the WomenNet.am website.
The short versions of the stories are summarized in a booklet of the same name, which was printed on the occasion of the event.
See the brochure here
Women's stories were presented by Maria Krtikashyan and Karen Margaryan, students of the National Agrarian University of Armenia, followed by a discussion in a question-and-answer format. The questions of young people were answered by women who achieved success in agriculture, telling about their achievements and difficulties and long-term plans.
Lena Sargsyan and David Davtyan , a young couple living in Stepanavan, are creating and implementing by the support EU-GAIA project future-oriented business plans that will contribute to the prosperity of not only themselves, but also the community.
“Everything grows in our environment, we just have to work. In agribusiness, the important thing is to change the way people think, as well as the ability to competently sell your own products, and we gladly convey the acquired knowledge about that to fellow citizens who apply to us,” says Lena.
Created by the initiative of director of the secondary school of Balahovit community of Kotayk Marz Lilit Misakyan and with the support of the UN World Food Program (WFP), the intensive garden gives students the opportunity not only to acquire the skills of growing crops in modern ways, but also to see with their own eyes all the advantages of green agriculture.
“The process of creating an intensive garden not only taught to understand the language of the land, but also educated the children, their parents and the community with the knowledge of modern technologies, which are necessary to develop clean, green and intensive agriculture in Armenia. Do you know what was especially gratifying? The elderly people of the village were constantly watching our work from beyond the school fence and admiring how we turned the uncultivated and arid land into a green garden and flower-bed with our efforts,” says Lilit Misakyan.
Support from the Austrian Development Agency’s EU-Green Agriculture Initiative (EU-GAIA) project helped the young agriculturist Gohar Aslikyan from Berdavan realize her goals.
"With EU-GAIA project, everything is planned so that the farmer does not think about purchasing agricultural equipment or property, additional reports and other hassles, but focuses on ensuring the efficiency of agricultural work. The project also plans visits to exchange practical experience not only within Armenia, but also abroad. This is a unique opportunity for us," Aslikyan says.
Sixty-nine-year-old Sonichka Bayramyan from Voskepar village of Tavush Marz is one of the staunch supporters of the introduction of innovative methods in agriculture․The example of her greenhouse aimed at the development of green agriculture has inspired many people in the village.
"If you leave today's work for tomorrow, you will not have a harvest tomorrow either. Everything should be done on time. It is not for nothing that the popular saying says: one spring day feeds a year," - says EU-GAIA beneficiare Sonichka Bayramyan.
"We learned so much during the courses organized by the Austrian Development Agency that I have so far managed to apply only a small part of the experience I have gained in the greenhouse," says Anna Virabyan, a resident of Khashtarak village, Tavush Marz , who grows traditional and non-traditional crops
Karine Heriknazyan and here husband lives in Spitak community of Lori marz andmanage the "Smart farm Spitak" company. The focus of the family's attention is the production of valuable crops ( Lavender and Aparagus) and in this matter they are supported by the "EU-Green Agriculture Initiative in Armenia" (EU-GAIA) project.
"The work done by women is always distinguished by its meticulous approach. In addition, it is more difficult for women to find work in rural communities, and this work is not physically demanding, so we chose to involve women in this to ensure their employment. In addition to the fact that women have stable employment for several months, we also try to help them learn in the process and become professionals in their work because we are convinced that education is the guarantee of work efficiency", says Karine.
Armine Martirosyan, who is engaged in poultry farming in Kamaris, 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.
"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".
Within the framework of the "EU-Green Agriculture Initiative in Armenia" (EU-GAIA) project, Ani Asaturyan achieved her goal: the greenhouse was installed in 2021 with the organization's support. Now Ani cultivate non-traditional crops: arugula, kale, Italian mint, Italian basil, and rosemary.
“I really like the project of the Austrian Development Agency because it supports not only financially, but also promotes business establishment and competent management through training courses, increases product and brand recognition by organizing agricultural product festivals,” says Ani.
The stories collected and published within the framework of the EU-GAIA project "Green Agriculture Initiative in Armenia" testify to the clear positive impact it has had in terms of the progress of agriculturist women.
- Women who have been involved in the project have become advocates of green agriculture in their communities, they often share innovative farming methods with their fellow villagers or provide support with seedlings or seeds to the residents of their communities.
- The success of the project beneficiaries plays a motivating role for other women living in their communities
- Even in cases where families are the beneficiaries of the project, women play a decisive role in business establishment and development.
- Almost all the women beneficiaries have long-term goals to develop and expand their business.
- Thanks to the project, women have become known in their communities and gained reputation as skilled agriculturalists.
Anush Nersesyan
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․
