As part of the MAVETA project, apprentices from the Farm Management programme at Goris State Multidisciplinary College travelled to Lori to join their peers from Stepanavan State Agricultural College for a hands-on experience-sharing visit.
With potato production on this scale being relatively uncommon in Syunik, the visit provided Goris apprentices with an opportunity to gain first-hand insight into field crop production and farm operations in a real agricultural setting, during the harvest season.
Farmers collaborating with Stepanavan State Agricultural College shared their practical knowledge and experience, introducing the apprentices to different potato varieties and discussing key considerations related to variety selection, cultivation and harvesting.
The apprentices also learned about a potato variety originally introduced from Vladikavkaz several years ago, which is being harvested at this farm for the first time this year.
The learning continued beyond observation: apprentices from both colleges actively participated in the potato harvest, working alongside private-sector partners in Lori and putting their knowledge into practice.
The visit combined peer learning, practical skills development and meaningful engagement with the private sector, turning an experience-exchange activity into a hands-on learning opportunity and a shared team effort.
The MAVETA project is financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the Government of Armenia.
The project’s implementing partners are the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Strategic Development Agency NGO and the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH-HAFL).