From September 13-17, 2021, meeting-discussions were organized in target marzes of Lori, and Tavush within the framework of the “Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia” project, implemented by the WWF Caucasus in Armenia (WWF-Armenia) in partnership with Strategic Development Agency NGO and financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The meetings were attended by representatives of WWF-Armenia և SDA NGO, administrative heads of selected settlements, community leaders, as well as community residents.
The purpose of the meetings was to define the current problems and possible solutions in the fields of livestock, tourism, wild collection and other areas through discussions with the community members, and to use the collected information for the project design and implementation stages.
The purpose of the meetings was to introduce and through discussions to confirm the relevance and efficiency of the selected value chains (livestock / fodder, tourism / hospitality and wild collection). The obstacles of the development of the outlined value chains as well as the proposed projects and mechanisms for their solutions were discussed. The collected information will serve as a basis for the program design.
During the meetings, the representatives of WWF-Armenia and SDA NGO introduced to participants the “Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia” project, its goals, and possible directions. During the meetings, the mechanisms of sustainable and effective usage and management of natural resources in the communities were discussed. As well as the correlation of natural resources and biodiversity with economic growth, the possible directions of community development were discussed – the incomes of farmers and rural businesses, the opportunities and potential to improve livelihoods of the rural population.
The “Living Landscapes for Market Development in Armenia” project implemented by the WWF Caucasus in Armenia (WWF-Armenia) in partnership with Strategic Development Agency NGO 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.
