SCEAD

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.

 

Sustainable Cooperative Extension and Agricultural Development

Target Areas: Ararat, Armavir and Vayots Dzor marzes.

Project Implementation Period: May 2009 - June 2012.

Donor: USDA

Project Goal:

The goal of the SCEAD program is to improve the livelihood of farmers and small-scale agricultural entrepreneurs in the Ararat, Armavir and Vayots Dzor Marzes (Provinces) through development of their production, management, pre-processing and marketing capacities.

Project Objectives:

  • Offer innovative agricultural extension to encourage adoption of improved farming techniques and agricultural technologies within rural communities.
  • Create new agricultural cooperatives to maximize economies of scale in agricultural production, and provide technical assistance and training to improve organization and farm management and the agricultural methodologies of new and existing cooperatives.
  • Provide agricultural machinery and equipment and introduce revenue-generating leasing operations to create a sustainable asset base for cooperative growth.
  • Furnish technical assistance, training and demonstration projects to develop pre-processing and marketing capacities and opportunities for cooperatives.

Project beneficiaries:

Direct: Farmers' cooperatives members. UMCOR will place particular attention on working with farmers who are disposed to improving practices and adopting new technologies and higher-value agriculture as they will be change agents promoting agricultural development in their communities.

Indirect: Family members of direct farmer beneficiaries.

Mobile Extention Team:

About 50 films on “Advice to Farmers” which includes all the branches of agriculture has been made by SCEAD program Mobile Extension Team and broadcasted in Armavir, Ararat and Vayots Dzor Marzes. Films have been made and broadcasted in each marz on the following topics: agricultural products’ processing, maintenance, husbandry, veterinary, poultry, horticulture, plan growing, pest management, agricultural products storage, floriculture, agricultural management, as well as films on actual and urgent problems of agriculture. 

Project parners:

Starting from 2009 the following activities were implemented with the SCEAD Program’s partner “Center of Agribusiness and Rural Development” (CARD):

  • Foundation of three milk producers’ consumer cooperatives in Armavir and Vayots Dzor Marzes and providing them with the necessary equipments and technical assistance.
  • Implementation of technical assistance and consultancy for the newly established and existing cooperatives.   
  • Providing the beneficiary cooperatives and member farmers with high quality seeds, agricultural implements, and accessories and processing equipments.
  • Implementation of demonstration projects of managing high value agriculture in cooperatives.
  • Creation and development of agro products’ realization between the cooperatives and processing/realization structures.

Achievements:

Within the scope of the SCEAD project financial, marketing, technical and advisory assistance was provided to 14 (11 agricultural and 3 milk producers) newly established consumer cooperatives, as well as to 10 existing agricultural consumer cooperatives established by UMCOR in 2003-2006 within the scope of the Program called “The Farmers Organizations Support Program in Armenia” (FOSPA). UMCOR supported the newly established cooperatives with legal registration, office space acquisition and provided trainings based on need of each community.  Trainings on accounting, cooperative management and business plan development, plant protection and other topics has been organized for the cooperative members. UMCOR provided to each SCEAD program beneficiary 21 consumer cooperatives from Armavir, Ararat and Vayots Dzor regions with “Belarus 921”, “Belarus 82-1” and “New Holland TD85 F ROPS” wheel tractors, as well as agricultural accessories, which helped member and non member farmers with the implementation of agricultural activities and promoted sustainable cooperative extension. The number of direct beneficiaries through 20-minutes films broadcasting  has reached to 25,400 and were highly appreciated.

The cooperatives established within the scope of UMCOR’s SCEAD program helped to decrease agro products’ cost price and to support the development of the cooperatives in Armenia.

To find additional information on the cooperatives functioning in Armavir Marz visit the following links:
www.noravan-coop.am, www.lukashin-coop.am, www.aygegorts-coop.am, www.nornairi-coop.am,
www.urartu-coop.am, www.nalbandyan-coop.am, www.arevik-coop.am, www.yervandashat-coop.am

To find additional information on the cooperatives functioning in Ararat Marz visit the following links:
www.dashtavan-coop.am, www.norkyanq-coop.am, www.lusarat-coop.am, www.pyunik-coop.am, www.aralez-coop.am, www.arevabuyr-coop.am, www.khorvirap-coop.am, www.nizami-coop.am

To find additional information on the cooperatives functioning in Vayots Dzor Marz visit the following links:
www.aghavnadzor-coop.am, www.getap-coop.am, www.malishka-coop.am, www.aygepan-coop.am, www.arid-coop.am, www.areni-coop.am, www.vayq-coop.am  
 

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