02 May
Uncategorized

SEIRA Workshop on State Agricultural Support Programs

Within the framework of the “Socio-Economic Integration of Refugees in Armenia” (SEIRA) project, a two-day workshop titled “Awareness of State Support Programs in the Agricultural Sector” was held in Aghveran on April 29–30.

The workshop was led by Tigran Aleksanyan, Head of the Animal Husbandry Department of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, and Merine Atoyan, Head of the Agricultural Advisory Division of the Agricultural Advisory and Innovations Department.

Officials from the Ministry of Economy presented existing state programs, recent updates, legislative regulations, and the implementation procedures for new agricultural initiatives.

The workshop brought together refugees engaged in agriculture from the communities of Goris, Sisian, Jermuk, Gavar, Vardenis, and Chambarak, as well as representatives of local vulnerable groups․

The “Socio-Economic Integration of Refugees in Armenia” (SEIRA) project fosters socio-economic integration by improving food security, creating sustainable livelihoods, and empowering both refugees and host communities in Armenia, promoting resilience and economic growth through agricultural and business development.

The SEIRA project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented by the “Strategic Development Agency” NGO and the UN World Food Programme.

02 May
NEWSARM

MAVETA Career Promotion Day Held in Etchmiadzin

Within the framework of the “Modernizing Vocational Education and Training in Agriculture in Armenia” (MAVETA) project, a professional promotion event took place on April 29 at Etchmiadzin State Craftsman School, one of the project’s partner institutions.

Dozens of students from schools across the Armavir region were warmly welcomed by MAVETA VET Consultant Lilit Beglaryan, the College Director Manuk Nazaryan, and other representatives of the event.

Lilit Beglaryan introduced the orchard worker profession offered at the college, highlighting its dual education approach and close collaboration with the private sector— an approach that effectively enhances students’ employability even before graduation.

Visiting students toured the campus, gained insights into student life, explored the college’s technical and vocational training opportunities, and engaged in interactive discussions with current students and faculty members.

The MAVETA project is funded by a broad coalition of international and local organizations led by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), including the Austrian Development Agency, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Government of Armenia, the HEKS/EPER NGO, Izmirlian Foundation, the Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO and Vanand Agro CJSC.

 The project’s implementing partners are the GIZ and HEKS/EPER with the involvement of SDA and the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (HAFL).

29 Apr
NEWSENG, NEWSENG, NEWSENG, NEWSENG, NEWSENG

Social Inclusion training for teachers from MAVETA partner colleges

Within the framework of the “Modernizing Vocational Education and Training in Agriculture in Armenia” (MAVETA) project, a training course titled “Adjustments of the Educational Environment for Learners with Various Developmental Disorders and Disabilities” was held on April 25 for teachers from MAVETA project partner colleges.

The training was led by Syuzanna Petrosyan, a social inclusion specialist, who presented statistics on social inclusion in Armenia, shared international experience and trends, and discussed the inclusion of learners with diverse developmental characteristics in the VET sector. She emphasized the importance of adapting and aligning the educational environment to better support these learners.

During the group work college teachers reflected on the challenges and issues related to social inclusion of students studying in secondary vocational education institutions, in particular, agricultural professions. As a result, strategic plans of inclusion were drawn up for the educational institutions with a view to further application to their respective colleges.

At the end of the training, participants were awarded certificates.

The MAVETA project is funded by a broad coalition of international and local organizations led by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), including the Austrian Development Agency, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Government of Armenia, the HEKS/EPER NGO, Izmirlian Foundation, the Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO and Vanand Agro CJSC.

 The project’s implementing partners are the GIZ and HEKS/EPER with the involvement of SDA and the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (HAFL).

27 Apr
Uncategorized

RECONOMY x LILA Meeting at the Tourism Committee of the RA and the Armenian Tourism Federation

As a result of the cooperation between RECONOMY’s “Digitizing Sectors for Competitiveness” and “Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia” (LILA) projects, Moldovan tour-operators who are in Armenia on a fam tour on April 27 had a meeting at the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Armenia.

RECONOMY’s “Digitizing Sectors for Competitiveness” Project Manager Mher Sahakyan and LILA Project Coordinator Alla Ghazaryan presented the framework of cooperation with the Moldovan side and steps towards promoting regional tourism to the Tourism Committee’s Marketing Manager Diana Karapetyan and Advisor Anahit Voskanyan.

Diana Karapetyan and Anahit Voskanyan presented the Armenian tourism results of interest to the Moldovan side and expressed their willingness for further cooperation.

Afterwards, the delegation met with Mekhak Apresyan, President of the Armenian Tourism Federation, at the Federation’s office.

Within the framework of RECONOMY’s “Digitizing Sectors for Competitiveness” project, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between Elena Stepanov , Executive Director, National Inbound and Domestic Tourism Association of Moldova (ANTRIM), and Mekhak Apresyan, President of the Armenian Tourism Federation.

RECONOMY is an inclusive and green economic development program of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), implemented by Helvetas in partnership with the Strategic Development Agency NGO and others in the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries.     

 Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia (LILA) project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by WWF-Armenia in collaboration with SDA NGO.

26 Apr
NEWSARM, NEWSARM, NEWSARM, NEWSARM

IADAAM Focus Group Discussion to Identify the Needs of Farmers in Ararat Marz

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.

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