Within the framework of the “Development of Irrigated Agriculture in Ararat and Armavir Regions” (IADAAM) program, a focus group discussion (FGD) was held. The target groups for the discussion were farmers from the Ararat, Artashat, and Vedi communities of Ararat marz, who are cultivating: a) land plots up to 1 hectare, b) land plots of at least 1 hectare or larger.
The FGDs were conducted with the support of IADAAM Agricultural Extension Service (AEST) Vedi and Artashat teams. The focus group survey and assessment were carried out under the supervision of Anna Sargsyan, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the Strategic Development Agency NGO, and moderated by consultants Aram Zakaryan and Narek Avetisyan, selected from the IADAAM AEST teams.
The main goal of these focus group discussions is to identify the needs and experiences of beneficiary farmers to make the IADAAM program’s interventions more effective and to propose appropriate solutions based on the farmers’ stated priorities. IADAAM focus group discussions aim to assess the current status of advisory services provided to farmers, identify existing challenges, and understand farmers’ needs, ensuring the collection of qualitative data. A specific FGD guide had been developed and was adapted to address key sectoral issues, allowing for an in-depth analysis.
The next focus group discussion is planned to be held in Armavir region.
Irrigated Agriculture Development in Ararat and Armavir marzes (IADAAM) project, financed through the European Union (EU) with implementation by the French Development Agency (AFD) is an integrated initiative aimed at transforming irrigated agriculture in Armenia.
Within IADAAM project a technical assistance component is implemented jointly by Agriconsulting Europe S.A, Avenue Consulting Group, Strategic Development Agency NGO and 3R Strategy LLC consortium and aims to provide institutional support to the Ministry of Economy (MoE) in the formulation of agricultural policies and reforms in priority areas, provide technical support to the MoE in the implementing project activities, ensure communication and reporting for the IADAAM project.