ARMENIA INVOLVED IN FAO INITIATIVE ON SOARING FOOD PRICES

NOYAN TAPAN

JU LY 17

FAO has just approved a series of projects in 48 countries for a
total value of 21 million USD to help small farmers and vulnerable
households mitigate the negative effects of rising food and input
prices. The project will provide farmers with agricultural inputs
as of this month for an expected duration of one year. Funded by the
Technical Cooperation Programme, i.e. FAO’s own resources, they are
part of FAO’s Initiative on soaring food prices (ISFP).

As Noyan Tapan was informed by FAO, Armenia is among these countries
and will benefit from this FAO initiative within the framework of a
newly approved TCP/ARM/3202 (E) -Input supply to vulnerable populations
under the Initiative on Soaring Food Prices (ISFP) project. The overall
objective of the project is to maintain livelihoods and food security
of the most vulnerable households of the food insecure districts
of Armenia, affected by the difficult 2007/8 winter as well as the
recent soaring food prices crisis, to provide technical assistance
on best farming practices and to ensure long lasting and sustainable
results for future planting seasons.

This project will target the most affected farmers with an emergency
distribution of cereal seeds and adequate fertilizers. This will
enable farmers to resume agriculture activities and offer them an
alternative source of income, thus restoring the household economy
and ensuring food security. In addition, the target beneficiaries
will be provided with adequate training in improved potato, wheat
and vegetable production. Some 2.000 vulnerable rural households in
the most affected areas of Armenia will benefit from this project.

The duration of the project is 12 months and the total project budget
is 500 thousand USD. The project already became operational and the
FAO Representation implementing partner of it is the Ministry of
Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia.