For agricultural farms, crop preservation, access to machinery, and energy costs are often as important issues as harvesting. A project being implemented with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in vulnerable communities of Armenia’s Shirak and Tavush Provinces aims to solve these problems, providing farmers with agricultural machinery, refrigerators, and seedlings.

One of the 235 beneficiaries of this program is Arman Voskanyan, a resident of Azatan village in Shirak Province. His family’s main source of income is agriculture. According to Arman, the new equipment has reduced the time spent on work and made it easier to manage the farm.

“It’s easier, faster, more efficient. The equipment saves time, it has made our work easier,” says Arman.

The refrigerator provided to the family is also an important solution. Previously, there were no appropriate conditions for storing potatoes and planting material, as a result of which part of the harvest could have spoiled or lost quality. But now it is possible to maintain a stable temperature and sell the harvest at a more convenient time.

The same opportunity was given to Asya Margaryan, a resident of Horom village in Shirak Province. The mother of four children is engaged in gardening with her family and plans to store the seasonal harvest of the garden, including cherries and raspberries, in the refrigerator.

“Now we will store the harvest and sell it later, perhaps at a higher price,” says Asya.

“The program is being implemented in the most vulnerable communities to climate change in the Tavush and Shirak Provinces and is aimed at increasing the resilience of these small farms, as well as food security and income. The program is funded by the government of Japan,” says Yeva Danielyan, co-director of the ADB Armenia Resident Mission program, noting that the total funding of this program is about $3.53 million.

The program is scheduled to be completed on June 30, 2027.

According to the aforesaid ADB official, with another component of this initiative, solar power plants will be installed in at least ten settlements in Armenia. They are intended to reduce the energy costs of these communities and direct the saved funds to agricultural programs.