27 Jun
Uncategorized

Cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

“Strategic Development Agency” NGO has been cooperating with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations since 2012, implementing a numerous of projects and researches with the financial support of the latter, which are shortly presented below։

  • “Technical and institutional support to veterinary services in Armenia”։ The goal of the project: the strengthening of veterinary services public sector in Syunik marz contributing to improvement of the food safety system and sustainable agricultural development in Armenia.
  • “National survey on conservation of dual-purpose cattle and collection of genetic samples”։ The purpose of the study: to assess the current situation related to the genetic resources, production environment and breeding background of the Caucasian Brown cattle breed in Armenia, to identify the priorities, gaps, bottlenecks and opportunities for the selected breed.
  • “How to Improve silage and fodder preparation based on Inspection Reports”: The aim of the study: to assess the nutritional quality of silage and fodder for animals and develop recommendations to farmers on how to improve the quality of the silage and fodder on their farms.
  • “Current situation of Artificial Insemination in Armenia”: The purpose of the study: to assess technical and infrastructural constraints of cattle artificial insemination (AI) services currently available in Armenia, as well as to provide recommendations on the areas of improvement in AI services.
  • “Implementation of a survey on the use of antimicrobials and collection of samples for antimicrobial resistance testing in Armenia”։ The survey aim: to explore knowledge, attitudes and practices among farmers and livestock producers of priority livestock production systems, veterinarians, feed mills and veterinary pharmacies to identify their patterns of antimicrobial use.
  • “Development of a mobile data collection system for six countries and four languages”։ The project aim: development of a mobile data collection system to explore knowledge, attitudes and practices among livestock producers, veterinarians, veterinary pharmacies and feed mills for identify the patterns of antimicrobial use (AMU) and their understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
  • “Emergency Humanitarian assistance to conflict affected vulnerable groups in Armenia”: The aim of the project: to increase the knowledge of the beneficiaries (displaced families) on good animal husbandry practices and farm management.
  • “Capacity building program for dairy and poultry farmers and veterinarians to reduce the use of antimicrobials (AMU) through improved husbandry and biosecurity practices”: The aim of the project: to increase the knowledge of dairy and poultry farmers and veterinarians on reduced AMU and promote the implementation of biosecurity and good practices.
  • “Linking farms, livestock markets and slaughterhouses”։ The aim of the project: the collection and analysis of data from livestock markets (LM) and slaughterhouses (SH) throughout the territory of the Republic of Armenia, in an effort to understand the patterns of animal movement between them, as well as the structure and practices within slaughterhouses in Armenia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

05 Nov
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“Livestock Development in Armenia: South-North 2”

“Livestock Development in Armenia: South-North 2” project is implemented by “Strategic Development Agency” NGO and financed by the Austrian Development Agency, the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation.

The project is the logical continuation of “Livestock Development in Armenia: South-North” Project . The project was developed taking into consideration the successful implementation of livestock development projects in Syunik, Gegharkunik and Shirak marzes and based on the previous phase results and achievements.

The Project’s intended impact is:

Inclusive and sustainable agricultural growth of livestock-depending rural communities in Armenia through improved productivity and enhanced competitiveness of the private sector in the domestic and export markets. The project is based on inclusive market systems development (IMSD) principles focused on developing sustainable service delivery and systematic change with the livestock sector through capacity development of direct beneficiaries.

  • The Project targets households involved in cattle breeding, actors of milk and meat value chains and Local Self-Governing Bodies of 70 rural settlements of Syunik, Gegharkunik and Shirak marzes.
  • The project predominantly focuses on developing sustainable and inclusive service delivery and systemic change with the livestock sector through development of about 140 local actors’ (private and public) capacities and strengthening cooperation and linkages amongst market players and stakeholders involved in milk and meat value chains.

The project will address cross-cutting issues like:

  • environmental protection,
  • climate change,
  • gender equality as well as specific needs of vulnerable people (including youth, women-headed households,
  • disabled,
  • ethnic minorities,
  • displaced population from Nagorno-Karabakh etc.)
14 Jan
Uncategorized

“Modernizing Vocational Education and Training in Agriculture in Armenia” (MAVETA)

Modernizing Vocational Education and Training in Agriculture in Armenia (MAVETA) project started on December 3, 2021, with a preparatory phase that has been successfully completed in August 2022. The 1st main phase of implementation started afterwards, which will last until August 2025. The 2nd main phase will start in 2026 and last until 2030.

Modernizing Vocational Education and Training in Agriculture in Armenia (MAVETA) project improves the knowledge and skills of professionals and students in agriculture and related fields. Furthermore, it supports the development of the legal and institutional framework for dual professional education. Thus, it contributes to sustainable, climate friendly, inclusive growth, increased incomes and enhanced (self)-employment in rural Armenia.

MAVETA works to anchor dual education approach at the political and institutional level: policies shall become more coherent, educational institutions more effective, and a cooperation between the public and the private sector shall be well established. On the ground, the project works with Goris State Agricultural College, Sisian branch of ANAU (Syunik), Stepanavan State Agricultural College (Lori), Berd Multifunctional State College (Tavush), Echmiadzin Craftsman State School (Armavir) and Yerevan branch of ANAU.

The selected professions within MAVETA project include Veterinary Specialist, Milk and Dairy Technologist, Farmer, Agricultural Machinery, Milk Farm Manager, Orchard Workers / Nut and Fruit Farmers.

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 Swiss Church Aid (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).

14 Jul
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“Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia”

The “Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia” project was launched on April 15, 2021.

The project is a part of a larger regional program Eco-Corridor Fund for the Caucasus (ECF), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the KfW Development Bank. In Armenia, the project is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and implemented by the WWF Caucasus in Armenia (WWF-Armenia) in partnership with Strategic Development Agency (SDA) NGO.

The project aims to improve the incomes of farmers and rural businesses in remote areas and livelihoods of the rural population thanks to better economic and more sustainable use and management of local natural resources (development and use of non-wood products, berries, edible plants, and herbs collection, processing, and production, livestock, tourism, etc.). As an effort to link economic growth and the protection of natural resources and biodiversity, it also contributes to design socially sensitive environments and climate-related policies.

The project will be implemented in the Tavush, Lori, Syunik, and Vayots Dzor marzes of Armenia.

07 Jul
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“Promoting partnerships for effective work-based learning opportunities in VET”

“Strategic Development Agency” (SDA) NGO implements EU funded project on piloting the work-based learning model in agricultural vocational education and training (VET) in Syunik and Lori marzes of Armenia.

The project supports Goris and Stepanavan State Agricultural Colleges in strengthening the partnership with private sector by adopting work-based learning (WBL) in Veterinarian and Milk Technologist professions.

The project contributes to the establishment of a sustainable system of vocational education, which is tightly linked to the demand of the labour market. It also creates a replicable model and the respective competency for implementing work-based learning education in other VET institutions of Armenia.

The project’s focus is on developing the capacities of selected VET colleges (Goris and Stepanavan State Agricultural Colleges) and companies/employers in Syunik and Lori marzes through their involvement in the selected professions curricula revision and capacity development trainings to ensure the provision of a comprehensive work-based learning model in professional education.

 

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