Armenia Fund USA, Inc.
152 Madison Ave, S-803
New York, NY 10016, U.S.A.
T/1-212-689-5307
F/1-212-689-5317
E-mail: info@armeniafundusa.org
Partnering for Development: Armenia Fund USA and Heifer International to
Implement a Pilot Project in Nagorno-Karabakh
NEW YORK, New York – Heifer International, an international organization
working with communities to end hunger and poverty through self-reliance,
will implement a pilot project in two villages of Nagorno-Karabakh within
Armenia Fund USA’s agricultural development project in the region. Based on
its "pass on the gift" principle of ending global hunger, Heifer Caucasus
has selected about 30 beneficiary families to help them overcome
socio-economic hardships by providing agricultural inputs and training in
farming practices. The families will receive 30 Heifer-animals to share
their offspring, along with the knowledge and best practices, with other
project participants in 3 consecutive years. The project is aimed at
improving nutrition of communities in the remote villages of Karabakh and
ensuring food security of families that are mostly survivors of a military
conflict that ravaged the region in 1991.
Talish and Vank villages in Mardakert region of Nagorno-Karabakh were
selected for the implementation of the pilot project based on the dire need
of families there who are mostly unemployed and agriculture is the only
means for survival. The larger objective of the initiative is to provide
appropriate inputs and technical assistance to more than 5,000 families by
the end of 2010 and help them improve their economic viability by at least
30% based on environmentally-sound farming practices. It has been designed
to be easily expanded onto other regions in the South Caucasus. The
agricultural inputs provided by the pilot project include livestock, seeds
and seedlings, technical assistance on a wide range of agricultural
techniques, as well as project-wide trainings on developing organic farming.
Families were selected based upon their size, social vulnerability,
experience in animal husbandry and other criteria.
Mardakert region has been a target of much agricultural development activity
since Armenia Fund USA launched the Agricultural Initiative, an agricultural
development project that is part of a monumental effort to revitalize the
region through an integrated approach which touches all aspects of rural
life. The regional development program covers a wide range of projects in
the area of public health, education and social infrastructure essential to
life. Within the scope of this larger development initiative, Armenia Fund
USA established Agricultural Development Associations in Mardakert to serve
its cluster of 18 villages and support subsistence farmers in improving
their agricultural activities. Armenia Fund USA’s partnership with Heifer to
improve rural life in the impoverished villages of Nagorno-Karabakh adds to
the momentum of significant development in the region.
Nagorno-Karabakh is located in the southeastern part of the Caucasus Minor.
The region is typically mountainous, and while the climate is temperate and
very favorable for agricultural development, unemployment and food
insecurity have caused widespread poverty and malnourishment in the region.
The project implemented by Armenia Fund USA and Heifer Caucasus will help
develop integrated farming practices that will lead to secure food sources
for the communities. Addressing the immediate need of these families will
lay the foundation for a successful expansion of both Fund’s Agricultural
Initiative and Heifer’s pilot project.
ABOUT ARMENIA FUND USA: ARMENIA FUND USA, founded in 1992, was one of the
first of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s 18 international affiliates and serves
constituents in all states east of the Mississippi. As a non-profit,
non-governmental, nonsectarian organization, the Fund represents all
Armenian constituents.
Armenia Fund USA is the largest contributor among the 18 international
affiliates – supporting strategic infrastructure projects in Armenia and
Karabakh, and having helped build 138 miles of roads, 100 miles of
waterways, 36 schools, 3 electric transmission networks, 210 residential
buildings and 15 healthcare institutions.
Armenia Fund USA’s Mission is the development of strategic socio-economic
infrastructure in Armenia and Karabakh, focusing on major projects such as
major highways, schools, drinking water to communities and humanitarian
programs in education, training and medical facilities. The Fund has adopted
a policy to go "Beyond Bricks and Mortar" to provide sustainability for
projects it sponsors.