Project Detail

Sustainable income generation in Debed community through effective backyard farming

The project aims to contribute to the reduction of forest dependency of local people by ensuring sustainable livelihoods for around 150 households of Debed community of Lori region. It is envisaged to plant raspberry bushes on uncultivated idle lands and provide respective knowledge and skills through training, practical demonstration and on-site consultancy. It is believed that backyard cultivation of berries will provide a source of additional income for the community members. Alongside, the Fund will ensure sustainable marketing of berry products through establishing a collection point and creating linkages between farmers and market (jam producers, wholesalers, supermarkets, restaurants, etc.). Besides, a small-scale practical training farm will be established at COAF-run SMART Center in Debed serving as a demo site for showcasing best practices on raspberry farming for local farmers and youth.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Children of Armenia Fund

Country:

Armenia

Area Of Work:

Land Degradation

Operational Phase:

OP6 - Y3 (Jul17 - Jun 18)

Grant Amount:

US$ 49,350.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 35,520.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 4,252.00

Project Number:

ARM/UNDP-FSP/2018/03

Start Date:

6/2018

End Date:

12/2020

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

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Project Characteristics and Results

Capacity - Building Component

Children of Armenia Fund is an organization with over a decade of successful experience in community development, including local economic development through agricultural training and interest free agricultural loans. However, for the purposes of this project, COAF will involve berry farming experts such as agronomists and drip irrigation specialists, as well as environmental experts who will work both at the demo farm plot at COAF SMART Center and provide individual consultancy to local farmers.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

It is anticipated that in the long run this initiative will positively influence the forest landscapes through adoption of sustainable farming and land use practices that ensure sustainable source of income for the local population and reduce their dependency from forest resources. The overall objective of the project targets improving the socio-economic situation of the community as a whole and individual households through offering the farmers an alternative livelihood opportunity, i.e. cultivation and sale of raspberry as a high value product. The project will support the beneficiary farmers through the whole production chain: from planting and cultivation through product packaging and marketing.

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

N/A

Policy Impact

N/A

Replication of project activities

Once the project successes and challenges are evident and analyzed, COAF will develop a replication plan for other beneficiary communities in Lori region that could make use of the training and demonstration farm at the SMART Center. Understandably, there should be an assessment if a different produce is more relevant for the target communities.

Project sustainability

Project sustainability mechanisms are inbuilt in its design and include a mix of diverse approaches, including creation of the Training and Demonstration Farm at the SMART Center, establishment of the collection point and facilitation of marketing efforts, the production of informational materials and others. Most importantly, COAF?s efforts to sustain and replicate the project benefits through its own resources and/or other funding sources should be noted.

Notable Community Participation

TThe youth will be actively involved in the project through direct participation in environmental and agricultural trainings at the Center as well as through professional orientation offered by the project. In particular, the training sessions will be focusing on the benefits of local economy as a source of employment or self-employment and ensuring local livelihoods through advanced farming methods and linkages to market. The upper middle school and high school students of Debed will be involved in hands-on practical application both at the COAF SMART Center?s demo training farm and in their private land plots.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

The major milestones under the Project (such as Project Launch, opening of the collection point and others) will be marked through events with media presence. All visitors of COAF?s SMART Center will be directed to the demo farm plot, where the project and its activities will be visualized. COAF will also keep relevant regional authorities, donors and development partners informed about the progress of the project. Films and knowledge materials developed under the project will be widely disseminated through COAF?s and SMART Center?s social media as well as provided to visitors and interested beneficiaries in other COAF-supported communities.

Policy Influence

The project does not have a direct policy influence. However, it will showcase the potential benefits of ?one village, one product? model for production of one competitive and staple product as a business to gain sales revenue, improving the standard of living of the community residents. This model, once tested and successful, will be offered for replication in other COAF beneficiary communities and its impact will be shared with all relevant stakeholders. By proving the efficiency of the proposed approach, the project will advocate for its inclusion in the Government agricultural policies.

Gender Focus

The project will target women and men farmers equally, involving them both in the training sessions and in all the follow-on processes including consultancy through field days and marketing of the produce. About 40% of project beneficiaries will be women-led households, while women will also have opportunities for additional employment at the collection point at COAF SMART Center.

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

Throughout the project implementation success stories will be documented, improved agro-technology and challenges analyzed and regular feedback provided to beneficiaries and other stakeholders. A short documentary will be produced by the end of the project to showcase innovative argo-technological solutions and the major results, which will be screened at the Center and at different beneficiary communities across Armenia. The Center will develop informational leaflets and guiding materials on raspberry farming, resource-saving technology, forest conservation and other vital issues, which will then be disseminated among SMART Center visitors, beneficiary communities and other stakeholders.

Project Results

The project will produce the following results:

1. Over 30,000 bushes planted on land plots of community members (200 bushes per each of 150 households) and drip irrigation installed;
2. 2000 bushes planted on the COAF SMART Center?s Demonstration and Training Farm;
3. A collection point with a 100 sq. m refrigeration capacity established and functional;
4. 200 farmers attended training on Agriculture Technology to Improve Productivity for Smallholder Farmers;
5. Over 50 youth from upper middle and high school grades raised their awareness about the importance of forest conservation and climate-smart farming practices.

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Indicators

Empowerment

Number of CBOs / NGOs participated / involved in SGP project 100

Biophysical

Hectares of land sustainably managed by project 3

Livehood

Number of households who have benefited* from SGP project 150

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