22 Jun
Uncategorized

Participation in the “Mimino” Armenian-Georgian cultural-culinary festival

On June 17, the “Mimino” Armenian-Georgian cultural-culinary festival was held in Dilijan, which was organized by the “Development and Preservation of Armenian Culinary Traditions”  NGO together with the “Armenian Tourism Federation” with the financial support of the Tourism Committee of the RA Ministry of Economy.

The main goal of the festival was to promote the cooperation between tour operators of the two countries, to activate and promote tourist visits between the two neighbouring countries, to strengthen cultural dialogue and friendship between peoples, as well as to promote the development of gastro-tourism.

Beneficiaries of the “Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia” project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) also attended the festival: “Berkri” gastro yard showcasing the Tavush cuisine and wines, “Haghartsin Kum-Kum” teas, presenting concentrated phytoteas, “Turm” herbal teas, presenting natural tea herbs collected from the Lori mountains, “Arevi” hotel, introducing its adventure and eco tours, as well as the hotel being built with the support of the Project in the Gosh settlement.

The project provided the beneficiaries with the opportunity to make their products and services visible and recognizable to thousands of tourists, Armenian and Georgian tour operators, to expand their business contacts, and to meet new people who will help them grow their businesses.

Participation of project beneficiaries in such regional initiatives is congruent with the project’s long-term goals of ensuring rural population living conditions through conservation, sustainable use of natural resources, adaptation, and mitigation of climate change.

 

The incomes of the rural population will be diversified by reducing the heavy dependence on agriculture and animal husbandry, so that the farms can also generate income from tourism, hospitality and related tourism supply chains.

The project “Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia” is implemented by the Armenian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Armenia) in cooperation with the   “Strategic Development Agency” NGO (SDA), and is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

12 Jun
NEWSARM

The 6th Sheep Shearing Festival took place

On June 10, the 6th “Sheep Shearing” festival took place in Khot settlement of Syunik region. The festival was organized by the joint efforts of “The Ranch” LLC and “Strategic Development Agency” NGO, with the support of the RA Tourism Committee.

The festival has been held in Armenia since 2014. The festival aims to raise awareness about local products, traditions and culture in the Syunik region of Armenia, as well as to contribute to the development of tourism in the region, the activation of cultural life and to provide an opportunity for people involved in tourism and hospitality to generate additional income.

The festival’s honorary guests were RA Minister of Economy Mr. Vahan Kerobyan and Mr. Werner Thut, Deputy Regional Director of Swiss Cooperation in the South Caucasus and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in Armenia.

RA Minister of Economy, Mr. Vahan Kerobyan, gave a welcome speech at the festival, who presented the statistics on the development of tourism in Armenia. “I am very happy that such events are organized and we are able to strengthen and activate our communities, to show the importance of local businesses in communities,”- the Minister said.

Mr. Thut began his welcoming speech with a Swiss folk song which best explains the connection and longing to homeland of a country fellow. “With this beautiful song, I would like to give you a warm welcome on behalf of the Embassy of Switzerland and the Swiss Development Cooperation”.

In his welcoming speech, Mr. Thut introduced the history of the song, the annual Schafscheid event taking place in Guggisberg when sheep that have been grazing the Alps over the summer are brought back to their owners in autumn. “The mountain regions of Swiss Guggisberg and Syunik have much in common. This is also one of the reasons why the Swiss Development Cooperation has been supporting the development of livestock farming in Syunik since 2006. Part of this success story is the establishment of the Syunik animal market in Khot settlement of Tatev Community of Syunik Region, now called “The Ranch», where the festival is taking place today.”- said Mr. Werner Thut, Deputy Regional Director of Swiss Cooperation in the South Caucasus and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in Armenia.

The guests of the festival were also welcomed by Ms. Anna Margaryan, the representative of the RA Tourism Committee, and Mr. Samvel Lalayan, the Head of Tatev community of Syunik Marz of Armenia. A. Margaryan, the public relations officer of the Tourism Committee, emphasized in her speech the importance of the festival culture in attracting new tourist flows.

During the festival, the collection of Armenian national costumes (taraz) and accessories were presented to the public by “Teryan” cultural center NGO.

During the event, visitors had the opportunity to listen the concert by “Lav Eli” band, get acquainted with the wool processing “from wool to carpet”, buy handicraft souvenirs, taste and buy the agricultural products and drinks presented in the booths.

The winner of “Sheep shearing-2023” contest is Levon Manvelyan, from Chambarak community, Gegharkunik marz of Armenia.

08 Jun
Uncategorized

Event dedicated to the World Food Safety Day

On June 7, the “Strategic Development Agency” (SDA) NGO, in cooperation with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the RA Ministry of Economy, and the World Health Organization (WHO), organized a conference dedicated to the World Food Safety Day. The event, entitled under the slogan “Food Standards Save Lives”, highlighted the vital importance of food standards in ensuring public health and fair-trade practices. Ashkhen Shirvanyan, Deputy Minister of Economy of Armenia, Vahe Hovhannisyan, representative of SDA NGO, Raimund Jehle, FAO Representative in Armenia, Marthe Everard, special representative of WHO regional director, and others gave a welcome speech at the conference.

The conference brought together experts from various fields, policymakers and representatives of other government and public institutions to discuss the importance of food standards in protecting consumers and promoting sustainable food systems. As this year also marks the 60th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius (Food Code) Commission established by the partnership of FAO and WHO, the importance of following its provisions was specially addressed during the conference.

05 Jun
NEWSENG, NEWSENG, NEWSENG, NEWSENG, NEWSENG

Workshop on the need to create the post of community pasture watchmen

On June 1-2, “Strategic Development Agency” NGO organized a workshop within the framework of the “Livestock Development in Armenia: South-North 2” project to discuss the need for community pasture watchmen.

The workshop was attended by the Deputy Minister of Economy Ashkhen Shirvanyan, representatives of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, regional and community authorities, sector experts, etc. RA Deputy Minister of Economy Ashkhen Shirvanyan made a welcoming speech with a reference to the importance of sustainable management of natural fodder areas in the context of livestock development and the need for a community pasture watchman position.

Ms. Shirvanyan was followed by Yeghiazar Davtan, the representative of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, who mentioned in his speech that ensuring the stability and well-being of communities is one of the priorities of their ministry, and in that context, this discussion is very important.

The workshop started with the speech of Mkrtich Ayvazyan, the chairman of the “Strategic Development Agency” NGO, who welcomed the participants and wished them a fruitful discussion. At the workshop, the natural resource management expert Mr. Gagik Tovmasyan presented the importance of sustainable management of natural fodder areas in the context of the livestock sector development and environment protection.

The current state of pastures and existing problems were presented. Both days of the workshop were held in an atmosphere of active discussion.

29 May
NEWSARM, NEWSARM, NEWSARM, NEWSARM

The “Sheep Shearing” festival was presented on “Discover Armenia” Expo

The “Sheep Shearing” festival, jointly organized by Strategic Development Agency NGO and “The Ranch” LLC, was part of the events organized by the RA Tourism Committee on May 27 and 28, the most cultural “Discover Armenia” Expo and the “Discover Armenia, Discover its Regions” conference.

The purpose of the exhibition is to present the tourism potential of the regions of Armenia, the rich cultural heritage, the cuisine, the wonderful nature and the possibilities of adventure tourism.

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