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PRESS RELEASE
November 10, 2004

ATP Participates in International Forum on Farming and Agribusiness in
Armenia

YEREVAN–Hundreds of Armenian farmers and agribusiness owners joined
experts from 27 countries late last month for an international
conference on ways of boosting Armenia’s vital agriculture sector.

The three-day forum organized by the Ministry of Agriculture was
attended by senior Armenian officials and representatives of Western
donor agencies and other international institutions. The latter pledged
continued assistance to the sector, which generates at least 20 percent
of the Armenia’s Gross Domestic Product and employs approximately 40
percent of the labor force.

The October 28-30 conference, which was attended by more than 500
participants, included a report by representatives of the Armenia
Tree Project (ATP) titled “Community Driven Conservation Development:
Lessons Learned From the Armenia Tree Project.”

The paper was presented by Karla M. Wesley, PhD, on behalf of
ATP and co-authored by ATP staff members Mher Sadoyan and Anahit
Gharibyan. During the presentation, Dr. Wesley, an affiliated
researcher at the University of California at Davis, explored the
“community development lessons” learned from Armenians in nearly 500
locations throughout the country who planted over 530,000 trees with
ATP between 1994-2004.

Discussing its founding in 1994, she explained that ATP was created
to address the ecological and social importance of reforesting the
country. “The primary goal of ATP continues to be the assistance of
the Armenian people in using trees to improve their standard of living
and protect the global environment. As an extension of these projects,
ATP also aims to promote self-sufficiency, aiding primarily those
with the fewest resources first, and conserve Armenia’s indigenous
ecosystem,” she stated.

“ATP began an innovative program to establish social contracts
with individual communities through mayors and institutions,” she
continued. To be eligible, ATP sites must meet three key criteria: good
irrigation, sufficient soil quality, and a highly motivated resident
population. “This paper focuses on the significant importance of the
last criteria: resident motivation, or what experts in the development
field call ‘community buy-in,'” explained Dr. Wesley.

During her presentation, Dr. Wesley explained the method of coppicing,
in which ATP staff rejuvenate declining forests by cutting tree
stumps with intact root systems to select the strongest shoot for
successful rejuvenation. “Since 1999, these coppicing projects have
gradually grown from three hectares a year to 210 hectares in 2004,”
she emphasized.

Dr. Wesley also noted that ATP operates one-hectare nurseries in the
refugee-villages of Karin and Khachpar, employing 29 workers there
and producing a total of 50,000 seedlings each year. She also pointed
out that a six-hectare nursery was established this year in Vanadzor,
which is already growing 400,000 trees for mountain reforestation.

Finally, Dr. Wesley described ATP’s sustainable mountain development
program, which addresses the growing concern about Armenia’s
forest loss and addresses the severe socio-economic needs of rural
communities. Located in one of the poorest regions of Armenia,
the Getik River Valley north of Lake Sevan was chosen by ATP for a
model project, and 17 families in Aygut chose to participate in ATP’s
innovative backyard nursery project.

“Central to this reforestation project’s success has been its use
of social contracts to establish rules of interaction that encourage
self-determination and autonomy in communities traumatized by war and
severe poverty,” she stated. “But the greatest lesson to be learned
may be the willingness of the Armenian people to care about their
environment. Common beliefs that Armenians are not interested in
environmental issues have been disproven by the ATP experience.”

“By developing long-term relationships and providing Armenian
citizens with the necessary skills and tools, ATP helps Armenians
restore native tree species critical for Caucasian biodiversity while
reclaiming self-sufficiency for their families and communities,”
concluded Dr. Wesley.

After the presentation, ATP Deputy Country Director Mher Sadoyan
responded to questions from the audience. A number of international
forestry experts were in attendance, including Lara Peterson
and DeAndra Beck of the US Forest Service International Program
in Washington, and Zvi Herman, director of the Israeli Ministry
of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Center for International
Agricultural Development.

Mr. Herman responded quite positively to the presentation, and
he was especially delighted when he learned that one of ATP’s
nursery directors received training in Israel, and that Israeli
irrigation systems were being utilized at ATP’s nurseries. Ms. Beck
and Ms. Peterson were also enthusiastic about the presentation,
especially after having toured ATP’s Karin Nursery earlier in the week.

For additional information about the First International AgroForum
in Armenia, visit For information about Armenia
Tree Project and its programs, visit

PHOTO CAPTION (ATP at AgroForum.jpg): Karla M. Wesley (right) and
ATP Deputy Country Director Mher Sadoyan at the First International
AgroForum in Armenia