oxfam projects direct

Armenia
Help increase the status and earning power of
women in rural communities in Armenia
Empowering women > Funding Target £80,000
YEAR 2 OF A 2 YEAR PROJECT
the challenge
Economic growth in Armenia reflects a massive disparity between urban and rural
areas. And it is women, particularly refugees, from small, remote agricultural
communities who are most vulnerable. Increasingly harsh winters and summer
droughts are badly affecting their crops, and many live in poverty, facing inequality
and discrimination, without access to the agricultural support that they need.
How you can help
With your help we can support rural women’s co-operatives to adopt climate resilient
approaches and technologies to increase the scale of their enterprises, to grow a
range of high-value fruit and vegetable produce, and take full advantage of new
marketing opportunities. Women’s incomes and status will significantly increase,
challenging the inequality and discrimination they face in the process.
Oxfam Projects direct
Make a direct difference
 Bavakan Melivkyan, a
member of Gomk women’s
co-operative, Vayots Dzor,
practising apple tree
grafting skills. Tree grafting
improves the quality and
yield of fruit over the long
term, a valuable addition to
female farmers’ skills.
Photo: Benjamin Ghazaryan/Oxfam.
Background
Background
Photo: Benjamin Ghazaryan/Oxfam.
Despite the significant contribution of
agriculture to the Armenian economy, which
moreover employs 45 per cent of the
workforce, the sector faces a chronic lack of
investment and growth. In contrast to rapid
urban expansion, high levels of rural poverty
prevail, and it is small communities in southeastern border areas such as Vayots Dzor
which are most badly affected. Refugees
displaced from the conflict with Azerbaijan,
account for half the population here, and face
particular vulnerability as they have sought to
adapt and learn agricultural skills. Rural
women also face high levels of unemployment,
low pay and poor working conditions. As men
are increasingly forced to move to cities to find
work, the burden on women has further
increased with one third now the head of their
household1. Even though men may often be
absent, traditional beliefs still prevent women
from taking part in decision-making processes
that affect their livelihoods.
Many traditional crops are also susceptible
to increasingly frequent droughts and frosts,
with fruits such as apricots and peaches
currently only reaching a quarter of their full
potential yields. Even when there is a surplus,
produce is difficult to sell because of limited
storage, processing and marketing facilities.
Co-operatives have proved to be a viable
solution to many smallholders’ problems –
facilitating access to quality seeds,
technology and business credit that farmers
need. Through providing economies of scale,
enabling greater investment in processing
and storage equipment as well as the
development of market linkages, they can
support farmers to collectively add value to
their produce and negotiate better prices to
improve their livelihoods.
occupied
Palestinian
territory
Russia
Georgia
Armenia
Yerevan
Azerbaijan
Turkey
Iran
Armenia Profile
Population: 3.1 million
Development: 86 (of 187) on the HDIA
GDP per capita: $5,279 (UK GDP per capita: $35,155)
Gender inequality ranking (out of 146): 60 (UK: 28)
Female seats in national parliament: 9.2% (UK: 30%)
Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2011.
A
The United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite measure of
three dimensions of human development: life expectancy and health, access
to knowledge and standard of living.
£3,760
Train members of
one co-operative in
greenhouse
management
t Members of Azatek Co-operative developing business
plans at a training session led by Oxfam’s partner, the
Business Support Centre.
THE PROJECT
Chad
from the construction of community
greenhouses which have the potential to
generate further income growth through
protecting high-value crops from harsh
weather conditions and increasing crop yields.
Photo:Vadim Uzunyan/Oxfam.
This project continues to build on the
successful work undertaken alongside our
partners2 last year. In the course of the first
year, over 400 people benefited from the
leadership, agricultural and business training
provided to establish three agricultural
co-operatives in Vayots Dzor. Farmers’
incomes have risen by an average of 15 per
cent thanks to crop diversification, installation
of cold storage facilities, and new market
opportunities. The project co-operatives are
also now negotiating sales agreements with
national agricultural suppliers and processing
companies. This year, alongside providing
ongoing business support to further develop
existing women’s co-operatives, we will
extend support to a fourth co-operative in
Vayots Dzor, with 50 per cent women’s
membership. All four co-operatives will benefit
Project aims
> Increase farmers’ incomes – particularly
women and refugees – by helping them to
develop successful agricultural businesses.
> Help farmers to adapt to harsh weather
conditions by introducing more climateresilient, non-traditional crops, and
constructing irrigation-fed greenhouses.
> Enable small-scale farmers to grow and
store more environmentally sustainable,
marketable produce, such as high-value
fresh and dried fruits and vegetables.
> Empower more women to become agricultural
and business leaders.
Eritrea
Sudan
Source:
1
Armenia Gender Profile, IFAD 2007.
Business Support Centre - provides training in setting up and running
co-operatives; Horizon Fund – provides interest - free small business loans;
Scientific Center for Vegetable and Industrial Crops (SCVIC) – provides
technical assistance in high-value agriculture.
2
Projects Direct > Make a direct difference
Yemen
 A member of Oxfam supported Aknaghbyur Co-operative
growing tomatoes in a drip-irrigation fed greenhouse in the
Tavush region. The same greenhouse design will be used
by the four co-operatives supported under this project in
Vayots Dzor.
Strengthen farmers’ co-operatives:
> Train 140 members of three women’s and
one mixed co-operative (85 per cent women
in total) in business management and
development, with a particular focus on
community greenhouse management and
women’s rights and leadership.
Increase farmers’ yields and incomes:
> Construct two community greenhouses (500
sq. metres coverage each), including
innovative agri-technology practices such
as drip irrigation systems to provide efficient
water management in water scarce areas.
> Supply 6,000 vegetable seedlings and
saplings of high-value crop varieties
(including tomato, cucumber, pepper and
beans) to four community greenhouses.
> Supply 5,000 climate resilient seedlings of
non-traditional varieties (including broccoli,
cherry tomato and chilli pepper) for outdoor
production.
> Link co-operatives with a micro-finance
institute who will provide zero-interest loans
(around £80 each) to a minimum of 130
co-operative members to fund agricultural
and marketing activities.
Enhance farmers’ specialist
agricultural knowledge:
> Train 140 co-operative members in
greenhouse management, including
cultivation of high-value fruit and
vegetable crops such as tomato,
cucumber, pepper, beans as well as
apricot, plum and cherry.
> Provide training to 140 co-operative
members in fruit and vegetable drying and
processing techniques and skills.
Improve co-operatives’ access to
better markets:
> Train 140 co-operative members in
business management and marketing.
> Support four co-operatives to market their
produce effectively through the packaging
and promotion of niche products such as
sun-dried fruit and vegetables.
> Provide an innovative phone texting system
to inform farmers about wholesale and
retail prices in key markets during the
harvest and post-harvest periods.
> Organise two harvest market days
promoting the co-operatives’ produce.
Monitoring and evaluation
Photo: Gayane Martirosyan/SCVIC.
Continuing improvements in farmer’s
(particularly women’s) economic and social
conditions will be monitored via data
collection measuring: household incomes;
volume, variety and resilience of crops
produced; numbers of women involved in
£1,140
Supply 6,000 fruit
and vegetable
seedlings
£10,500
Construct one
community
greenhouse
co-operative management; number of people
taking up loans; and levels of agricultural
knowledge. Project partners and beneficiary
communities will participate in these reviews
as well as a final project evaluation.
 Mobile phone text showing market pricing information
of fruit and vegetables (wholesale and retail prices) at the
main agricultural markets in Yeravan. Information is
distributed weekly during the main harvest season and has
supported co-operative members to collectively market
their produce at the best prices.
IMPACT
As a result of this project, we expect:
> Smallholder farmers from the four cooperatives (85 per cent women) will
increase their incomes by 30 per cent by
year end.
> Co-operative members will be able to sell
approximately 30 tonnes of mixed dry and
fresh vegetable and fruit produce to new
markets, thanks to the new links
established with local traders and
processing companies.
> As women make economic gains and
become agricultural and business leaders
in their communities, their status and
respect in each community will increase.
> Farmers will be better prepared for harsh
weather as they are able to grow weatherresilient and high-value crops both
outdoors and in community greenhouses.
t Nersisyan Janeta, a member of Azatek women’s
co-operative, Vayots Dzor, cultivating broccoli with climate
resistant seedlings provided with Oxfam’s support.
www.oxfam.org.uk/direct
Photo: Clare McDowall/Oxfam.
ACTIVITIES
WHO WILL BENEFIT?
Lusine’s story
> This year, at least 600 people from four communities (50 per
cent of whom are refugees) will benefit from agricultural
co-operation, high-value production, training and collective
marketing.
> Indirectly, an estimated 2,000 local people and authorities will
benefit from training activities and access to trade fairs.
Agricultural businesses, traders, exporters and consumers will
also have an improved supply of good quality produce.
 Lusine Khurshudyan, President of Zedea women’s agricultural co-operative in
Vayots Dzor with a sample of her broccoli yield.
Lusine Khurshudyan, 36, lives with her husband and four children
in the Zedea community of Vayots Dzor. She is one of a majority of
Zedea residents who originally moved there as refugees from
Azerbajan following conflict in 1988. Although Lusine’s formal
education suffered as a result of the difficult humanitarian
circumstances during this time, she was elected to become
President of the Hreshtak women’s agricultural co-operative,
established with Oxfam’s support under this project last year, as
a result of her strong leadership skills within the community.
Members were supported to increase their crop yields and
incomes through the provision of ‘non-traditional’ crop seedlings
such as broccoli, tomato and chilli, as well as the construction of
cold storage facilities - and were also trained in co-operative
management and business development. As Lusine reports, the
social roles of women in Zedea have improved following
Hreshtak’s success, which has seen members’ incomes increase
between 15 and 30 per cent.
“Training from Oxfam and the Business Support Centre on
co-operative business management, marketing, agriculture and particularly gender and leadership – has changed my life.
We were trained to take on leadership roles and it has helped
me to recognise and develop my existing leadership skills.
The community has supported me in taking on the challenging
role of President and I wish to make every effort to support them
to strive for a more stable and prosperous future.”
17
+28201025AL
Co-operative ownership and management of greenhouses will
enable farmers to work collectively to run economically viable
businesses. With the support of newly established access to
microfinance services, small-scale farmers will learn new
growing and processing techniques as well as business and
marketing skills to enable them to earn more from their
produce, re-invest their profits, and enjoy long-term
sustainable livelihoods.
Photo: Benjamin Ghazaryan/Oxfam.
SUSTAINABILITY
THE BUDGET
Increase farmers’
yields and
incomes
£22,140
Total £80,000
Strengthen
farmers’
co-operatives
£14,130
Project
management,
monitoring and
evaluation
£20,000
Enhance
farmers’
specialist
agricultural
knowledge
£15,840
Improve co-operatives’
access to better
markets
£7,890
Oxfam Projects direct
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Contact:
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Tel: 0300 200 1300
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