CEASTA

UMCOR agricultural activities

UMCOR has implemented successful agricultural development programs in Armenia since 1997.

Starting from December 1999, UMCOR has supported the establishment of seven farmer associations through the Community Associations Program. This program evolved into UMCOR’s Farmers Organizations Support Program in Armenia (FOSPA) . Through FOSPA, UMCOR assisted 19 rural communities in Ararat, Armavir and Vayots Dzor Marzes with the establishment and development of agricultural cooperatives. During the initial phase, these farmer organizations (FO) received technical assistance from UMCOR on forming groups, conducting a community needs assessment, establishing and formally registering cooperatives, developing business plans and applying for loans. FOs also received UMCOR financial support in the form of grants (administrative, business support and agricultural equipment) and loans (interest-free and interest bearing). The cooperatives received loans for procuring agricultural inputs in bulk and providing agro-machinery services, allowing member-farmers to reduce their production costs and increase their incomes. FOs received multiple trainings and consultancies as well.

With funds from a variety of donors, UMCOR worked with rural communities countrywide. From 2004 to 2006, with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, UMCOR established three demonstration farms in one of Armenia’s poor marzes, Gegharkunik, and provided technical assistance and training to over 12,000 local farmers.  

Strengthening the Role of Women in Agricultural Cooperatives (SRWAC) Project that UMCOR started in November 2007 was built on UMCOR Armenia’s experiences in assisting farming communities to establish and develop agricultural associations through FOSPA. Under the program, UMCOR extended assistance to support the further development and strengthening of existing FOs by identifying, training and empowering women involved in agriculture. The primary purpose of each established Women Committee (WC) was to strengthen the role of women in cooperatives and address community issues. As a result of the SRWAC project Women’s Committees were established at 10 communities. UMCOR also organized and executed trainings in areas such as how to conduct a needs assessment, proposal writing, democracy in rural communities, and success stories of other women working through cooperatives to create change locally. To highlight and stimulate the role of women, and to help cooperatives achieve social goals in the community, small grants were awarded to Women’s Committees to support their activities under the project. These included social, health and education needs and the recipients of assistance were extremely vulnerable families, elderly and vulnerable children.  

Since 2009 UMCOR has been implementing Sustainable Cooperative Extension and Agricultural Development (SCEAD) program funded by USDA “Food for Progress” Program.  The project supported member farmers and small-scale agricultural entrepreneurs to improve their livelihoods through development of their production management, pre-processing and marketing capacities and through technical assistance, training and demonstration projects. Within the scope of the project financial, marketing, technical and advisory assistance have been provided to 14 newly established consumer cooperatives, as well as to 10 existing agricultural cooperatives established by UMCOR in 2003-2006 within the scope of FOSPA. The program was implemented in Ararat, Armavir and Vayots Dzor regions. Through the SCEAD project, UMCOR collaborated with CARD, Agricultural Support Regional Centers of the target regions and other stakeholders.

The main outcomes of SCEAD program are -- 21 Cooperatives received agricultural equipment, such as tractors (Belarus 82-1, Belarus 921 or New Holland type) and other accessories; 3 new milk and dairy cooperatives received milk collection spots; 72 agriculture extension films completed and broadcasted in Ararat, Armavir and Vayots Dzor marzes; 5,000 handbooks published and distributed to farmers; 28 demonstration projects implemented in high value agriculture, post-harvest pre-processing, and marketing; 3,600 individual rural community members adopted improved agricultural practices.

The knowledge and skills gained by the beneficiaries through trainings and the results of the program witnessed through demonstrations will motivate the adoption of improved farming techniques and new technologies. Through the utilization of the agro machinery equipment/accessories and increase in post-harvest pre-processing and marketing capacities, farmers are now able to improve yield, enhance product quality, and increase sales of their products, which will result in improved quality of life for the farmers and their families.

Farmers from 14 new and 10 existing cooperatives received technical assistance trainings in cooperative development, management, conducting needs assessment, business plan development, financial management, accounting, taxation, plant protection, farm management, environment and land protection, water resource management, organic agriculture and livestock husbandry and veterinary. Short term impacts include achieving integration of small farmers into producer organizations and empowering individual farmers through a commonly owned enterprise. This leads to the increase of bargaining power for the cooperatives. Individual farmers adopt the use of modern fertilizers and modern agro-technologies through which they gain improved production quality. Moreover, with the application of improved plant protection knowledge and skills, farmers will increase production yields and, therefore, household incomes.

 

Community Enhancement through Agricultural Support and Technical Assistance 

Target Areas:  Salli community of Vayots Dzor Marz

Project Implementation Period:  January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015 

Donor: UMCOR

Project Goals:

The proposed Community Enhancement through Agricultural Support and Technical Assistance (CEASTA) project is built on UMCOR Armenia’s experience in assisting rural communities to become economically active and sustainable by providing community farmers with innovative agricultural extension services and encouraging adoption of improved farming techniques, water management techniques, and agricultural technologies for the benefit of the entire community. It is a new combined model of cooperative establishment, provision of agricultural machinery to the established cooperative, and irrigation system construction in the community. This model is designed to benefit the whole community and not only cooperative members. 
 
The project goal is to mobilize Salli community members to adopt improved farming techniques and agricultural technologies through the establishment of Agricultural Consumer Cooperative and reconstruction of irrigation system to enhance the community agricultural income growth.

Project Objectives:

  • Create a new agricultural cooperative to provide training, technical assistance and agro machinery services to increase members’ incomes and become a sustainable and self-governing organization by the end of 2016.
  • Improve the irrigation system of Salli village to enhance social and economic condition of the community.  
Expected Results/Outcomes
 
By the end of this project the following results are anticipated:
  • 1 cooperative established in the community (at least 30-35 members in the cooperative),
  • 18 trainings are conducted in the cooperative (with the following topics: Cooperative Management, Finance Management and Accountancy, Need Assessment and Business Plan Development, Agronomy, Plant and Crop Protection, Irrigation Techniques & Soil Conservation,  Farm Management, etc),
  • 15-20 films will be demonstrated to the cooperative and community member farmers,
  • 1 wheel tractor and 2-3 accessories to cooperative are provided,
  • 45-50 cooperative and community member-farmers and their HHs will benefit from provided technical assistance,
  • 360m pipeline is constructed,
  • Irrigation water supply increased for about 20-25%,
  • The whole community will have income increase due to reconstructed irrigation system.
 
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