The level of human deprivation in rural communities of Armenia is higher than in urban areas mainly due to the lack of access to economic opportunities and poor quality of public services, such as healthcare, education and social protection.

UNDP’s experience worldwide and in Armenia over the past 20 years suggests that poverty is a complex and multidimensional phenomena, which is context specific and addressing it requires concerted and comprehensive efforts across all levels of government and all sectors of economy. A home grown and effective approach that was spearheaded by UNDP in an attempt to improve people’s wellbeing and lift them from poverty is the Integrated Community Development approach.

Communities’ needs, challenges and development opportunities are best addressed when the intervention is holistic, focusing on the three pillars of sustainable development (e.g. social, economic and environmental) and fostering decentralization, good local governance and democracy. 

Agricultural activities are the main source of employment and income generation for the residents of Baghramyan, Arevadasht, Artamet and Myasnikyan rural communities of Baghramyan sub-region (hereinafter, micro-region) in Armavir region. The poor conditions of the irrigation and water supply networks, the lack of agricultural equipment and the obsolete machinery, as well as the lack of knowledge about new agricultural technologies are the underlying reasons behind the low level of agricultural productivity and high level of poverty in the micro-region.

During the recent years large-scale investments have been made by Fruitfull Armenia in this region in the fields of vineyards-grapes growing, including orchards for vegetables and fruits, water reservoirs, drip irrigation and modern cultivation methods, which, overall, positively impacted on the socio-economic growth in the micro-region.

Capitalizing on the successful past experience of UNDP and the Fruitful Armenia in local development, taking stock of the tangible results achieved and recognizing the power of partnerships for advancing sustainable development agenda, today Ms. Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia, and Mr. Eduardo Eurnekian, a prominent Argentinean-Armenian businessman, signed an agreement to support agricultural and micro-business activities in Baghramyan, Arevadasht, Artamet and Myasnikyan communities. This partnership is aiming at promoting the economic revitalization of the micro-region and improving the living standards of the population. The parties firmly believe that the shared value is the foundation of a real partnership!

“UNDP’s best practices and experience across the world suggest that promoting sustainable development requires an integrated approach which targets social, economic and environmental pillars of development. We are well positioned to proceed rapidly with the implementation of integrated development in these communities, as it has helped to rehabilitate social and economic infrastructure and generate sustainable income in more than 150 rural and urban communities across the country. This approach involves several communities working together in a cluster, and focusing on the holistic approach to development, i.e. infrastructure rehabilitation, income generation, institutional capacity development, good governance, and environmental protection,” said Dafina Gercheva, UN RC/UNDP RR.

Within the framework of “Armenian Village Revival: A Drive for Employment and Income Generation” project, UNDP Armenia aims to create farmers’ associations, improve the economic rural infrastructure as a key element for rural poverty alleviation, establish micro food processing facilities, and return of non-cultivated arable land into the sowing cycle through distribution and planting of quality seeds and seedlings.

Based on the participatory planning approach, UNDP Armenia will support the four communities to develop their Strategic Community Development Plans - a tool to prioritize local community needs. Moreover, an environmental impact assessment will be conducted in the region to gauge the situation and prevent from environmental damages that agricultural and agro-processing activities may cause.

The total cost of the project is USD 230,000 from which Fruitfull Armenia’s share is USD 204,000.