Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

The objective of the action is to contribute to the realization of shared and balanced inclusive growth in the Northern regions of Armenia through boosting green agriculture and enhancing local value added.

Expected results

Objective 3 (of EU-GAIA): Selected agribusinesses are more competitive through access to inputs, equipment, infrastructures and services (to be partially implemented by UNDP).

3.1. Pipeline of investable and high added value agribusinesses with demonstrated commitment to an inclusive and rights-based workplace environment created;

3.2. Agribusinesses have improved productivity through access to inputs, equipment, infrastructures and services;

3.3 Increased productivity in selected VCs through application of resource efficient and resilient farming practices;

3.4. Agribusinesses have improved access to local, national and international markets.

Target group / Beneficiaries

The direct beneficiaries of the action will be agribusinesses (around 70) – e.g. rural farmers and farmer groups and cooperatives; processors and providers of services to the value chain actors; extension services; NGOs and associations; government entities (MoE and others). These groups will benefit from direct support and/or capacity development measures.

The indirect beneficiaries (around 2000) will include communities and households benefitting from green agriculture practices, as well business service providers, traders, retailers, hospitality sector etc. benefitting from increased diversity, volumes and quality of agricultural products. Students of agriculture institutions (Armenian National Agrarian University, TVET institutions) will benefit from improved access to hands-on experience and best practices.

Activities

The following activities are planned to sustainably improve the competitiveness of selected agribusinesses:

- develop a pipeline of investable and high added value green agribusinesses with demonstrated commitment to an inclusive and rights-based workplace environment

- identify and select agribusinesses/beneficiaries in the selected value-chains through a competitive process

- conduct training-needs assessments and corresponding capacity development for selected beneficiaries

- develop individual concepts for each participant including support scheme

- facilitate availability, accessibility and sustainable utilisation of inputs, services, equipment and infrastructure by agribusinesses

- increase the productivity in selected value chains through application of resource-efficient and resilient farming practices by demonstration of innovative and climate-smart practices

- assist agribusinesses to gather their specific farm data and do gross-marging calculations twice a year

- facilitate market linkages between agribusinesses and other actors along the value chain at national level, and access to local, European and other international markets

- support agribusinesses through branding, packaging and labelling

Context

This project will be implemented within the framework of the EU-GAIA (Green Agriculture Initiative in Armenia) project, which is is part of the EU’s Annual Action Programme for 2018 – Regional Development. The overall objective and the specific objective of the Action are in line with the Annual Action Programme (AAP) for 2018 and the Cooperation Strategy of the Austrian Development Cooperation 2012 - 2020. While ADA is the main implementing partner for the EU-GAIA programme, this project will be implemented with exclusive funding from the ADA, with UNDP being responsible for the implementation of major parts of EU-GAIA Objective 3 (see above). The project activities will be mainly concentrated in Shirak, Lori and Tavush marzes as envisaged by EU AAP 2018. These marzes are located at high altitudes in border regions. They suffer from weak economic diversification, high poverty and unemployment rates and limited access to markets, as well as increased vulnerabilities of the rural population especially in remote and border parts.