Key to Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Armenia
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ARMENIA working for the SDGs FOOD AND AGRICULTURE Key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Armenia 1 ARMENIA WORKING FOR THE SDGs ©FAO/Karen Minasyan the united efforts of all countries behind – particularly vulnerable and INTRODUCTION and stakeholders, with no one left disadvantaged women and men in behind. The 17 SDGs are universal, rural communities – and promoting integrated and indivisible, capturing the sustainable management of On 25 September 2015, the 193 all three dimensions of sustainable natural resources. Member States of the United development: social development, Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda sustained and inclusive economic The SDGs offer the right framework for Sustainable Development, growth, and environmental to tackle the economic, social and underpinned by 17 Sustainable protection. environmental challenges related Development Goals (SDGs) with to food and agricultural systems in 169 targets and 232 indicators to The 2030 Agenda aims to tackle Europe and Central Asia. guide the actions of governments, the complex challenges facing the international agencies, civil society planet today – ending poverty, organizations and other institutions hunger and malnutrition and The 2030 Agenda for to achieve sustainable development responding to climate change. In Sustainable Development by 2030. this context, sustainable food and includes: agriculture are critically important • 17 goals The 2030 Agenda sets forth a for the achievement of the SDGs in transformational and ambitious that they tackle the root causes of • 169 targets plan to guide the global approach to hunger and poverty, enabling an • 232 indicators sustainable development through inclusive society that leaves no one 2 ARMENIA WORKING FOR THE SDGs F OOD AND AGRICULTURE IN ARMENIA Agriculture is one of the most Agriculture produces 13.7 percent percent are female farmers. Women important economic sectors of of the gross domestic product are over-represented in seasonal and Armenia. It is the main source of (GDP) (as of 2018) and employs precarious employment, and 82.1 economic activity in rural areas about 24.8 percent of the working percent of all women working in and is a signifi cant contributor population, of whom nearly 52.1 agriculture do so informally. to the gross domestic product. Agriculture growth rate in GDP and employment in agriculture (%) 50 45.6 45.3 40 38.9 37.3 36.3 34.8 35.3 33.6 30 31.3 24.8 20 19.9 16.7 16.8 17.9 18.4 18.1 17.3 16.4 14.9 13.7 10 7.2 7.5 4.7 3.3 3.6 3 5.2 0 2.2 0.2 -10 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 -14.1 -20 GDP growth rate Share of Ag. in GDP Employment in Ag. Source: Sta�s�cal Commi�ee of the Republic of Armenia (ARMSTAT) In total, there is 2 044 200 ha of of uncultivated agricultural lands is of the total agricultural output agricultural land in Armenia. worrisome. (in 2016). Smallholders constitute This comprises 68.8 percent of the the vast majority in the country, country’s total territory, with about The agricultural lands are privatized, representing around 95 percent of all 0.15 ha of arable land per capita. and currently about 346 000 private farms, and have an average size of As of 2016, 21.3 percent of the family farms own 513 000 ha of 1.4 ha, usually fragmented into three agricultural land belonged to family agricultural lands, in total, and or four parcels. The smallest sizes farms. At the same time, the level produce more than 96.8 percent of agricultural land are in Ararat province (Ararat valley), at 0.72 ha, and Tavush province, at 0.86 ha. Smallholders produce most of the gross agricultural product, at around LAND BALANCE OF THE RA, 2019 (kha) 97 percent. AREA OF REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA 2974.3 ha Agricultural land, 2044.2 ha The territory of Armenia is Arable land, Other land, 390.8 444.8 characterized by high seismic activity and intensive exogenous Permanent crops, processes, which contribute to the 36.4 occurrence of landslides and erosion. Grassland, 121.1 Another signifi cant problem in Armenia is salinization. Pastures, 1051.1 Source: Sta�s�cal Commi�ee of the Republic of Armenia (ARMSTAT) 3 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE IN THE 2030 AGENDA THE 17 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS Goal End poverty in all its forms everywhere Goal End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture Goal Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages Goal Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning Goal Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Goal Ensure access to water and sanitation for all Goal Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy Goal Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all 4 ARMENIA WORKING FOR THE SDGs Goal Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation Goal Reduce inequality within and among countries Goal Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable Goal Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Goal Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts Goal Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources Goal Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss Goal Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies Goal Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development 5 ARMENIA WORKING FOR THE SDGs communities, problems that still need to be addressed include the availability of preschool facilities, the distances between homes and primary schools, access to sewage systems, quality of roads, and availability of intercommunity public transport. FAO’S SUPPORT ON SDGS IN ARMENIA As a United Nations specialized agency, FAO has extensive experience in supporting sustainable development in the context of food and agriculture, providing ©FAO/Karen Minasyan norms, standards and data for the implementation, monitoring and reporting of the SDGs. It is expected that the problems frost, drought, hail and seasonal related to land quality, water fl oods. These cause great damage to availability and the occurrence of agricultural production. The average natural disasters will continue to annual loss in agricultural output FAO is also the custodian worsen because of the negative related to hydrometeorological United Nations agency for impacts of climate change. hazards was estimated at USD 72 21 indicators, under million in 2016. SDG 2 (zero hunger) The average altitude of the country SDG 5 (gender equality) is 1 800 meters above sea level, According to FAO’s 2019 report SDG 6 (clean water and with 76.5 percent of the territory The State of Food Security and sanitation) located at between 1 000 meters Nutrition in The World, Armenia has SDG 12 (responsible consumption and 2 500 meters above sea level. registered a signifi cant decrease in and production) Thus, the majority of lands in the prevalence of undernourishment SDG 14 (life below water) and Armenia are mountainous and high- (PoU), which is a measurement of SDG 15 (life on land) mountainous zones; this determines hunger and food insecurity from the peculiarities of agricultural 2004 to 2017. The statistics shows production and food availability. that the PoU in Armenia declined The Ararat valley and the plain and from 7.8 percent in 2004–2006 to 4.3 subtropical zones have the most percent in 2015–2017. The national favourable conditions for plant statistics showed that 16 percent of As a custodian agency, FAO is growing, while the mountainous households were classifi ed as food responsible for collecting data from areas are more appropriate for insecure in 2015. Food insecurity is national sources, validating and animal husbandry. The agriculture accompanied with double burden of harmonizing those data, estimating of Armenia is focused mainly on child malnutrition and micronutrient regional and global aggregates, plant growing, which makes up defi ciencies; in 2015, 9 percent of and making them available for 55.4 percent of the total agricultural children younger than fi ve-years-old international reporting. FAO is output. The natural and climatic were stunted and 14 percent were also responsible for leading the conditions of Armenia determine overweight. methodological development of the high vulnerability of agriculture the 21 indicators and for providing to various forms of natural disasters Food security goes hand in hand coordinated technical assistance and stressors. Almost all regions with poverty. Poverty is a serious to countries with the objective of of the country are vulnerable to concern, as almost one-third of enabling them to produce their own hydrometeorological hazards, partly the total population – 29.8 percent data in the long run. related to climate change, including – are poor (2016). In many rural 6 ARMENIA WORKING FOR THE SDGs ©FAO/Ani Grigoryan FAO is supporting countries in the needs of women and men at different achievement of multiple SDG targets, stages of life and the needs of the most Agriculture is as food and agriculture encompasses disadvantaged, in line with the 2030 all the SDGs, through the Country Agenda’s principle of leaving no one one of the key Programming Frameworks (CPFs), a tool behind. for country-level strategic prioritization. sectors defining The three identified areas address the sustainable In Armenia, the Government and FAO, government priority areas as reflected through a participatory multi-stakeholder in key national documents, with