Livelihoods in Armenia: Evaluation of New Economic Opportunities For Small-Scale Farmers in Tavush and Vayots Dzor Regions

EFFECTIVENESS REVIEW SERIES
enhancing effectiveness through evidence-based learning
Armenia Livelihoods 2013/14

New economic opportunities for small scale farmers in rural areas
The project was implemented in 19 agriculture-dependent villages in two regions of Armenia, Tavush and Vayots Dzor,
by Oxfam GB in Armenia in conjunction with local partners Union of Agricultural Cooperatives, Work and Motherland
NGO, Horizon Fund and Scientific Center of Vegetable & Industrial Crops. The overarching objective of the project
was to support smallholder farmers to secure sustainable livelihoods through increasing access to economic
opportunities in agricultural value chains and increasing resilience to natural disasters related to climate change.
Farmers cooperatives were established in the targeted communities. These cooperatives provided a platform through
which most other project activities were implemented at community and household level. Eight villages, four each in
Tavush and Vayots Dzor regions, were targeted in the first year of the project with more added to implementation in
subsequent years. The focus of the evaluation was on the impact of the project on participating households in these
eight villages, in which implementation had started earliest.
Improved livelihoods security for
smallholder farmers in Tavush and
Vayots Dzor regions of Armenia
Farmers benefit from: Farmers able to: Farmers able to: Farmers have Government
Improved yield and quality take advantage of favourable finance diversified income structures
of produce market conditions productive inputs sources through and policy
Resilience to risks including access supply chain at higher increase links to new responsive to
climate change cultivated area markets including needs of poor
value levels
access agro-tourism farmers
commercial loans
Provide training and inputs for: Provide/establish: Provide Provide subsidised Develop agro-
productivity enhancing cold storage market loans and finance tourism through National-
agricultural technologies sun dryers price training to coop links with national level policy
high-value and climate- harvest festival information members agencies and local advocacy
resilient crops links with to coop NGO
improved farm management national members
processors
Research state policy/regulations and private

sector opportunities relating to agriculture,
Establish smallholder farmers cooperatives in intervention communities
cooperatives, agro-tourism, micro-finance/
insurance and crop processing
This diagram presents how the project was expected to achieve change, through project activities and outcomes that were expected to contribute to
the overall goal of the project.
Project date: April 2010 - November 2012 Evaluation: April 2014 Publication: March 2015
EFFECTIVENESS REVIEW SERIES 2013/14: ARMENIA BOLIVIA COLOMBIA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
ENGLAND ETHIOPIA GEORGIA HAITI HONDURAS INDONESIA JORDAN LEBANON MALAWI MALI
NEPAL NIGER PAKISTAN RUSSIA RWANDA SCOTLAND VIETNAM
ZAMBIA ZIMBABWE
Evaluation Method
The review sought to evaluate the projects impact among the population of villages where the project was
implemented. A quasi-experimental evaluation design was used whereby data from interviews with households from
villages where the project had been implemented and with households of neighbouring non-project villages were
analysed using propensity-score matching and multivariate regression. See the How are effectiveness reviews carried
out? document for more information on evaluation design. Details about specific evaluation design used in this case
are contained in the full report of the Effectiveness Review.
Results
Evidence of positive impact
Project outcome Commentary
Tavush Vayots Dzor
Agricultural There is no evidence suggesting less household migration or
livelihoods reliance on migrant labour; however, there is some evidence to
Mixed Mixed
activities and suggest a greater likelihood of increased income from agricultural
migration activities.
There is evidence suggesting greater use of pesticides, sun-dryers,
YES YES
cold storage/collection centres and greenhouses in both regions.
Technological The project appears to have had a significant impact on farmers
adoption and Mixed Mixed use of inorganic fertilisers in Tavush region only and on use of
agricultural inputs improved seed/seedlings in Vayots Dzor region only.
In Tavush region only, there is some evidence that there is a
YES NO positive impact on the amount of land cultivated (measured both as
a proportion of total land used and by area).
There is evidence for greater harvests of several individual fruit and
non-fruit crop types in both regions. In particular in Tavush region
YES YES
there is evidence for a substantial (approximately 4-fold) increase in
production of traditional vegetable crops.
Agricultural There is no evidence of a sustained increase in diversity of
production NO NO agricultural production (measured by number of crops) or sustained
production of non-traditional vegetable crops.
There is evidence suggesting greater yields of both fruit and
YES NO non-fruit crops, and greater aggregate quantity of fruit harvests in
Tavush region only.
In Tavush region beneficiary households are more likely to be
Sales and access
YES NO selling agricultural products, sell a higher proportion of their
to markets
produce and receive greater revenue from produce sales.
There is some evidence suggesting that the project has had a small
positive impact on perceived access to credit.
YES YES
There is evidence of a positive impact on access to credit from
Access to finance microfinance organisations, particularly in Vayots Dzor.
In Tavush region beneficiary households were able to access credit
YES NO at lower interest rates from both microfinance organisations and
commercial banks.
There is some evidence of positive impact of the project on
Household income YES YES household income. Beneficiary households experienced greater
increases in asset wealth over the period of the project.
Going forward
As a result of the evaluation, Oxfam in Armenia will review the approach undertaken for the introduction of non-
traditional crops during the pilot project in the two regions of Vayots Dzor and Tavush. The promotion and cultivation
of more marketable non-traditional products such as broccoli on a larger scale will also be reinforced. Small farmers
cooperatives within the Oxfam in Armenia Livelihood Programme will continue to be strengthened by diversifying their
agricultural business models, providing support to the development of different agricultural value chains in both Vayots
Dzor and Tavush, introducing new technologies and practices to increase income, and providing appropriate capacity
building training programmes. Between 2015 2017, Oxfam in Armenia will also continue to raise funds for new
livelihoods projects in the Vayots Dzor region. Photo credit: Oxfam in Armenia
Full version of this report and more information can be found at Oxfams Policy and Practice website: www.oxfam.org.uk/effectiveness
For more information, contact Oxfams Programme Quality Team - [email protected]

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EFFECTIVENESS REVIEW SERIES

enhancing effectiveness through evidence-based learning

Armenia Livelihoods 2013/14

Research state policy/regulations and private

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