FAO Armenia Newsletter, August 2020

FAO Armenia Newsletter August 2020 — Issue #4

Vahan AmirkhanyanVahan FAO/

FAO continues supporting Armenia in fostering economic growth in the country during COVID-19

FAO Representative in Armenia and The Deputy Minister Khojoyan briefed the participants, among whom were also the Assistant FAO Representative Deputy Minister of Economy discuss in Armenia Gayane Nasoyan and FAO National Economist FAO priorities amid COVID-19 situation Vardan Barseghyan, about the situation in the country, as well as about resulting changes which might affect the level of cooperation between FAO and the Government of Armenia.

FAO Representative in Armenia Raimund Jehle briefed the Deputy Minister on the role FAO plays in mitigating the pandemic’s impact on food and agriculture in the world, as well as on safeguarding the food security and livelihoods of the most vulnerable.

“We will focus more on smallholders,’’ said Raimund Jehle. He offered to support the Ministry in a rapid assessment of the situation to analyse the impacts and to prepare for targeted response to the sector. ©FAO/Ani Grigoryan FAO Representative in Armenia Raimund Jehle Both Khojoyan and Jehle confirmed to continue a close dialogue to provide adequate and timely response to the FAO Representative in Armenia Raimund Jehle and Deputy Ministry and the agriculture sector in Armenia. Minister of Economy of Armenia Arman Khojoyan discussed priorities of FAO’s work in the country and Read the full article here. shared views on how to continue the cooperation in the challenging environment caused by COVID-19. The meeting was organized on 24 March, through Video Conference.

| 1 | ©FAO, 20 IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO COVID-19 All households stated that they have started cultivating their kitchen gardens and/or arable lands. The issue indicated by all of them was related to seeds and fertilizers: two key factors were mentioned in this regard – scarcity or • Rapid assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on lack of financial means to buy seeds and fertilizers and the the FAO pilot beneficiaries in Lori and Shirak deficit of fertilizers and quality seeds. marzes ➢ Read more under “Rural families face the “The situation in the community is quite tense due to the COVID-19 pandemic with more confidence, fact that it is time to fertilize the autumn sowing, and there thanks to FAO” are problems with the supply of fertilizer due to the restrictions on movement both within the country and • Rapid assessment of greenhouse farmers between countries,” said Karen Arshakyan, the head of ➢ Read more here. Marmashen consolidated community. • Rapid survey of food supply chains in Europe and Central Asia in the framework of COVID-19 As for the nutrition status, or rather for availability of food, ➢ Read more here. they didn’t express any current problem with food availability – they consumed the food they had stored for the winter, such as home-canned vegetables, self- produced fruits and vegetables stored in their basements Rural families face the COVID-19 (potato, cabbage, beans, lentils). At the same time the pandemic with more confidence, thanks respondents mentioned that a substantial price increase on food products was registered, at least in their to FAO settlements, and they were not able to afford buying the same quantity food and services as they used to before Vulnerable rural families in Armenia, who received emergency. livestock and feed support from FAO previously, can better cope with the situation generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and have a more balanced nutrition. This was found by the rapid assessment on the pandemic’s impact on the socially vulnerable population in Lori and Shirak marzes carried out in March-April 2020.

The two provinces are the poorest among the ten, with high percentage of malnutrition and stunting, this being the reason for the project to pilot a Cash Plus support here. Families have been questioned by phone about their health status, the effect of the emergency©FAO/Karen situation Minasyan on their employment and the agricultural works, food consumption and accessibility, as well as market situation, ©FAO/Karen Minasyan particularly access to markets and price changes. The Family farmer planting beans in her kitchen garden survey included also the heads of two consolidated communities: Marmashen and Gyulagarak. Survey participants had serious concerns, that if situation lasted longer than a month, they might face serious The impact assessment showed that Cash Plus approach problems. has strengthened the resilience of the beneficiary households and will certainly contribute to early recovery As for the market accessibility, the mobility of people is and mitigation of consequences caused by current currently minimized to the extent possible, plus the situation of the disease outbreak. assessed households do not produce as much agricultural product that would be beneficial to sell in city markets. “It is of course hard times for everyone, but I think we are Normally, they exchange their production with some other fortunate that our family became the FAO pilot project commodity or sell it in the village, to neighbours. beneficiary,” said Qyaram Khachatryan, a smallholder from Marmashen community. “We were so encouraged and The phone survey covered 28 randomly selected decided to increase the number of hens, which was a wise beneficiary households (21 percent of the total). It includes decision, because now that I cannot accept casual job, our 170 people, of which 42.7 percent are children at 0-5 age family fully relies on the product from poultry. We cope group. with the situation quite well and hope things will change soon.”

| 2 | The national digital agriculture strategy “Having a national digital agriculture strategy can help Armenia increase food production, establish incentives for Armenia is on its way, with FAO and facilitate the development of digital technologies for support the agri-food sector. It can be used to promote new markets, strengthen social protection, decentralize trade and serve as a driver for digital agricultural innovation,” said Raimund Jehle, FAO Representative in Armenia.

“The digital agriculture strategy can pave the way for policy options to bridge the digital divide in rural areas, and ensure equal prospects for rural men and women, young and old, in accessing digital tools – quickening the pace of innovations, increasing incomes and job opportunities,” added Jehle.

The present COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated that those A screenshot of meeting participants who remained connected could continue working up to some extent, while those confronted with the rural digital An online consultation of the Ministry of Economy of divide had difficulties to keep their activities at level. Armenia and FAO, held on 7 May, marked another step in the development of a national digital agriculture strategy for Armenia. Better land management - better economic, social and ecological The meeting aimed to introduce the digital agriculture sustainability framework, key findings of the situational analysis, and discuss and validate the priorities of the digital agriculture strategy.

Participants included Deputy Minister of Economy Arman Khojoyan, Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry Stephan Tsaturyan, FAO Representative in Armenia Raimund Jehle, FAO local and international experts, as well as the members of the working group – 30 people altogether.

The success of digital transformation requires active involvement and collaboration of many different parties.

While digital transformation is predominantly used in a ©FAO/Ani Grigoryan business context by large international companies, it also Landscape in Armenia impacts other organizations such as governments, public sector agencies and entities, which are involved in tackling A new FAO project has kicked off helping Armenia achieve societal challenges such as rural livelihood, youth land degradation neutrality commitments through unemployment and agri-food entrepreneurs, by leveraging sustainable land management and restoration of degraded one or more of these existing and emerging digital landscapes. technologies. It should assist the government, among others, in At the farm level, digital agriculture has the potential to protecting the country’s degraded croplands and pastures contribute to a more economically, environmentally, and by scaling up improved land management practices and in socially sustainable agriculture and meet the agricultural better responding to the challenges posed by climate goals of a country. change.

FAO is committed to support its member countries in The project was launched at a virtual inception workshop transforming agriculture through the adoption of digital on 17 June in Yerevan. Participants were updated on technologies and innovation. Also, FAO supports the project preparation, project sites, financial aspects, project implementation of strategies, provides advices and design as well as discussed ways to identify synergies and guidelines, as well as supports in the process of the digital areas of collaboration with different partners. agriculture transformation at national level. Around 40 officials and specialists from line ministries, Currently, FAO is helping Armenia transform its agriculture together with representatives of international sector. organizations, Armenian National Agrarian University,

| 3 | Cadastre Committee, and marz administrations address development needs while restoring and protecting participated in the workshop. natural resources.

Currently, about 81 percent of Armenia’s territory is In this context, the project will work to formulate exposed by desertification driven by both, natural and comprehensive land use planning to rationalize land use in anthropogenic factors. Anthropogenic causes of a way that addresses interconnectedness and trade-offs degradation include inefficient agricultural practices, across multiple ecosystems, promote good governance to illegal logging, overuse of groundwater resources (artesian align policy directives at the national and sub-national wells), and soil contamination, as well as mining, urban level, and promote innovations in sustainable land development and road construction. management.

To remove the barriers of sustainable land management Almost half of all cropland in the country is affected by and implementing land degradation neutrality in Armenia, water erosion, while wind erosion can be seen in small the project will take a three-pronged approach starting cropland areas in the Ararat valley. More than the half of with strengthening the enabling environment for land all pastures and hayfields are degraded, caused both by degradation neutrality, followed by scaling up resilient over- and under-grazing. sustainable land management practices in degraded landscapes. This project will support the country in achieving all the four targets of its land degradation neutrality strategy, including stopping cropland degradation and promoting FAO addresses agricultural land agroecology; afforestation and/or reforesting two-third of abandonment in Armenia the degraded land; stopping deforestation and improving forest management all across the country; stopping overgrazing and improve grassland management all across the country.

In addition to land degradation, climate change poses a serious risk to the vitality of the agriculture sectors in the country, exacerbating land degradation processes in the country unless action is taken.

To overcome the multiple challenges to sustainable land management in the country, the Government of Armenia ©FAO/Ani Grigoryan is committed to set and implement measures that meet Tractor working in the field, Lori region, Armenia the global commitments of LDN, contributing to goal 15.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals to achieve LDN by FAO continues helping Armenia’s Ministry of Economy 2030. address agricultural land abandonment, affecting approximately one-third of all arable land in the country. “The COVID-19 crisis has already shown the importance of a functioning and sustainable food system for each country Considering the situation caused by COVID-19, whereby and the resilience of smallholders to such shocks. the issue of food security becomes even more important Therefore, sustainable land management and eliminating for the country, the re-engagement of abandoned degradation has gained further importance and to put in agricultural land into production has become imperative. place appropriate policies,” said Raimund Jehle, FAO Representative to Armenia. “Armenia needs to increase its The joint expert team of FAO and the Ministry of Economy agricultural production and thus integrate unutilized land. has prepared a draft law, “Ensuring effective use of Sustainable land management supports this approach.” agricultural land,” which was presented to the Legal Working Group of the Ministry of Economy for review and The FAO project will follow a landscape approach in line comment on 6 April. with Global Environmental Facility’s (GEF) vision to foster sustainable integrated landscapes. Working at landscape The purpose of the law is to support sustainable agriculture level allows issues to be addressed in a multifaceted way, and rural development – including reduction of agricultural integrating sectors, involving partners and working at land abandonment and fragmentation, improved land use different scales – tackling the underlying causes of efficiency, agricultural land market development, degradation and challenges related food security and not enlargement of farms, and development of smallholder just the symptoms. farms into commercial farms.

Landscape and territorial approaches that focus on people “The preparation of the law, and its eventual adoption, is and their aspirations are among the most effective ways to one of the pillars of the proposed solution to address

| 4 | agricultural land abandonment in Armenia,” said Maxim the agricultural production of the country strongly Gorgan, FAO land tenure officer. “It shall establish the legal depends on irrigation, weather conditions, proper genetic basis for a new public institution and enable a number of resources, soil and water management,” said Tania land management instruments, such as land banking, Santivanez, FAO agricultural officer. mediation of leases, and land consolidation.” To address the main problems as described above, the FAO’s analysis reveals that land abandonment is a multi- project in Armenia foresees improvements in planting dimensional phenomenon with interlinked economic, material and seed certification system; laboratory testing environmental, and social root causes. In Armenia, several for quality control; developing and adapting negative factors are the main causes of land abandonment, methodologies for testing new varieties. such as inefficient farm structures, ageing rural population, and labour out-migration. The dependence of crop production on water, together with the lack of irrigation facilities, land degradation induced by climate change, and various problems along the agricultural value chains, play a role as well.

The development of the draft law is part of a technical assistance project by FAO. Launched at the end of 2019, the goals are twofold; to establish and operationalize a new policy framework, and to introduce a set of land management instruments to facilitate land market development and farm structure improvements focusing on smallholders and family farms. The proposed land ©FAO/Ani Grigoryan management instruments will build on European good Wheat field in Spitak community of Shirak region, Armenia practices and FAO’s extensive experience in this field. Agriculture in Armenia, especially the seed sector, is facing ©FAO/Gagik Harutyunyan several challenges. The project addresses the most urgent “The first milestone has been achieved; however, there is ones, including the lack of national breeds resulting in the still a lot of work ahead of us,” added Gorgan, “including dependence on seed import, well-established and development of detailed procedures and tools for trustworthy seed and planting material certification mediation of leases, then testing the developed land scheme, access and knowledge of high quality and climate management instruments in three pilot communities in tolerant seeds and planting material for farmers, and low Armavir marz before scaling up the approach over the awareness on the importance of the management of plant entire territory of Armenia.” genetic resources.

FAO addresses challenges of the seeds Farmers often use their own seeds, which carry risks of uncertain production outcomes and disease sector in the region, including Armenia vulnerabilities. These issues contribute to the increase of the vulnerability of the country’s agriculture to the climate A new technical cooperation project on making agriculture change. more resilient to climate change started in Armenia with a project document signed by FAO and the Ministry of “Moreover, in the context of the COVID-19 era, Economy of Armenia on 11 May. The two-year project implementation of the project is very relevant due to the covers Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and North project will support strengthening the national seed Macedonia. system as one of the main pillars of crop production and food security”, added Raimund Jehle, FAO Representative All four countries are facing problems of adaptation and to Armenia. development of independent, diversified agricultural structures. One limiting factor is that the majority of seeds, This project is in line with the Government’s recently and other input materials, come from outside, thus, approved strategy for sustainable agricultural farmers depend on imported seeds. They cannot yet fully development in Armenia; improving seed and planting benefit from the advantages of quality seeds due to a material certification system is one of the prioritized combination of factors, including hampered seed actions there. The interventions will be integrated into the production, distribution, and quality assurance systems, as ongoing development actions to ensure the sustainability well as bottlenecks caused by a lack of good seed policy on of the process beyond the project duration. They are key issues. tailored to the needs of the government, to build the capacity of government officials at the national and “Armenia, similarly to Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia, and regional levels. These interventions are also in line with the Tajikistan, is facing similar risks due to climate change, and current government policies and strategies.

| 5 | Experts in Armenia trained in Risk “This event is a cornerstone for enhancing the skills of Armenian risk assessors and risk managers in the ever- Assessment and Management evolving field of risk analysis of chemicals in food chains,” said Alberto Mantovani, international expert on toxicology and food safety chemical risk assessment. “The trainers and the Armenian colleagues work together to implement a One Health approach linking environment, plant, animal, and human health.”

The training echoes the Year of Plant Health 2020 and was a part of an ongoing FAO project begun in June 2019 that works closely with the Food Safety Inspection Body, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia.

The project will continue with the development of a

©FAO/Karen Minasyan Generic Risk Analysis Manual, which will develop risk Landscape in Shirak region, Armenia assessment, risk management, and risk communication in the country in line with international standards. A two-day training on strengthening food safety and animal health capacities in risk assessment and INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PLANT HEALTH management brought together experts from the fields of veterinary science, animal health and food safety. Overall, more than 30 people, mostly decision makers and managers, participated in the event held on 5-6 February • The United Nations General Assembly declared in Yerevan, Armenia. 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). The first day focused on risk assessors as the providers of science and the complementary role of risk managers, who • The year is a once in a lifetime opportunity to use the science for decision making. Participants observed raise global awareness on how protecting plant case studies from international sources and held active health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, discussions on addressing chemical risks in food in protect the environment, and boost economic Armenia, setting priorities for the country, and the steps development. needed to be taken to build on and lift up the skills and knowledge available.

©FAO/Ani Grigoryan The training participants, Yerevan, Armenia

The second day of the training focused on the presentation and discussion of specific technical issues on regulated substances and setting safe doses, as well as concerns and priorities in honey and fish products. The participants concluded the training by agreeing on the specific training needs and the way forward on chemical risk assessment.

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