Client: Ministry of Agriculture’s Agricultural Projects Implementing Unit (APIU), conducted under the Community Agricultural Resource Management and Competitiveness (CARMAC) Project, financed by the International Development Association of the World Bank and the Global Ecological Fund (GEF)
The primary objective of this assignment was to assess changes in vegetation indicators across 63 rural communities in six regions of Armenia (Lori, Aragatsotn, Tavush, Syunik, Gegharkunik, and Shirak) resulting from pasture management and improvement interventions under the CARMAC program. The study aimed at determining whether these interventions led to improved vegetation cover, increased productivity, and enhanced carbon sequestration in pastures across the targeted communities.
The assignment involved a comprehensive assessment of pastures in the selected communities under the CARMAC project. The scope included a detailed evaluation of vegetation cover (%) and productivity (dry mass yield in kg/ha) through field measurements and calculations. It also included carbon sequestration analysis, involving measurement and calculation of carbon sequestration rates (grams of carbon/ha/year) in pasture biomass.
Soil and plant cover samples were collected from 12 representative communities to analyze total biomass carbon content using laboratory-experimental methods. Additionally, the total carbon storage in pasturelands, including aboveground vegetation, dry mass, and root-soil layers, was estimated in gC/m² and kgC/ha. To evaluate the ecological impact of the interventions, baseline data comparisons were conducted. The analysis assessed the effectiveness of pasture restoration and improvement activities, providing insights into the environmental benefits achieved through the CARMAC project.