DEBET, Armenia — Is there anything common between a school principal, a garment factory mechanic and a chemistry teacher? Yes, all of them live in Yeghegnut community in Lori region and are involved in an effective backyard farming project conducted by the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) GEF Small Grants Program.
The Sustainable Income through Effective Household Management project was launched in September 2018. Since then, many COAF beneficiaries living in Debet, Yeghegnut and Dzoragyugh communities have been trained in raspberry farming and effective agriculture. Raspberry bushes and irrigation systems have been provided to 150 households.
Apart from that, within the framework of the project, a park has been established at the COAF Smart Campus, where more than 20 varieties of raspberries, blackberries, and currants are currently being developed. The park is equipped with hail, string, and drip irrigation systems.
A while ago COAF provided 55 households with more raspberry bushes in order to support sustainable income generation.
Hovik Hambardzumyan, the Yeghegnut school principal, received the new bushes a couple of days ago. “My wife and I have been working hard and we expect good harvest and a bit of income for the next year,” he says.
