Mandate/Overview
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developing countries and transition economies, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy issues, global and regional. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information. It helps developing countries and transition economies to modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure safe and healthy nutrition for all. Since its founding in 1945, FAO continues to focus attention on developing rural areas, home to 70 percent of the world's poor and food insecure and hungry people.
FAO's mandate is to improve levels of nutrition, increase agricultural productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy through agriculture development.
Today, FAO is one of the largest specialized agencies in the United Nations system and the lead agency for agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development. An intergovernmental organization, FAO has 191 Member Nations of which 53 in the Europe and Central Asia region and one Member Organization, the European Union and one Associate Member, The Faroe Islands.
FAO in Armenia
The Republic of Armenia became a member of FAO on 8 November 1993. The FAO Representation Office in Armenia was founded in September 2004. Since becoming a Member Nation of FAO, Armenia has received FAO’s support in implementing various development and emergency projects aiming at increasing agricultural productivity and improving the country‘s food security.
FAO priority areas in Armenia include: improving food security and standard of living of the rural population, enhancing the safety and quality of food products, sustainable management of natural resources, and institution and capacity-building to support the transition process to a market-based economy in the rural sector.
FAO activities and projects in Armenia offer the following comparative advantages:
• Strong partnership and intensive cooperation with the key Ministries of the Armenian Government;
• FAO’s established position as a neutral partner both for the Government and NGOs;
• In depth knowledge of the transformation process in the agricultural sector in Armenia and in other transition economies;
• Successful collaboration with other United Nations system organizations, specifically with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as well as other organizations including Embassies and donors based in Armenia and
• High recognition of FAO activities, including dissemination of information and FAO work outcomes in the country.
FAO ongoing Projects in Armenia
FAO Technical Cooperation Programme National Projects
• Emergency Assistance for the Control of African Swine Fever (ASF) (TCP/ARM/3102). The project aims at enhancing the monitoring and disease control surveillance system for ASF in Armenia which should stop the spread of the disease in non-affected areas of the country or to neighboring countries.
• Afforestation and Reforestation (TCP/ARM/3203). The project focuses on the development of human resources in the fields of seed collection, nurseries, plantations and natural regeneration. In close collaboration with the National Forest Programme, it intends to implement capacity-building measures as well as small pilot projects and
• Establishment of a virtual and research information and communication network (TCP/ARM/3103 (D). The development objective of the project is to improve, through strengthened research and development extension linkages, the agricultural advisory services provided to resource poor farmers, in support of rural livelihoods and development.
GCP Funded
• Assistance to Brucellosis Control in Armenia - Phase 1 (GCP/ARM/001/ITA). The development objective of the project is to enhance family livelihoods by reducing brucellosis disease in animals and in humans in Armenia.
• Support for pesticide quality control and residue monitoring in Armenia (GCP/ARM/003/GRE). The aim of the project is to contribute to sustainable development of the agricultural sector through less hazardous agricultural inputs leading to improved agricultural practices, safer food and a cleaner environment as well as to the reduction of risks associated with the use of pesticides.
• Support for abattoir development in Armenia (GCP/ARM/004/GRE). The development objective of the project is to demonstrate and foster safe hygienic meat production in selected Marzes (regions) in Armenia. Its medium-term objective is to enable the livestock development institutions (both private and public) to effectively improve the safety and quality of meat and meat products.
FAO Technical Cooperation Programme Regional Projects
• Food Safety Capacity-Building (TCP/RER/3003 (A) The project contributes to food security and safety and supports economic development of the rural communities in both Armenia and Georgia by improving the performance of national food control programmes.
• Coordination of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) surveillance and control in the Transcaucasian countries and strengthening of emergency management capacity (Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan - EU MTF/INT/003/EEC). The project aims to strengthen the veterinary services of the Transcaucasian countries in FMD surveillance and control as well to reinforce regional bio-security, especially at the borders between the Transcaucasus and Turkey and Iran.
• Emergency Assistance for Early Detection and Prevention of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Armenia. The project aims to strengthen the capacities of the veterinary services in early detection and prevention of Avian Influenza in the country.
• Capacity-building in agricultural biotechnologies and biosafety (TCP/RER/3102 (D). The overall objective is to enhance food security and the income of the rural population through increased productivity and quality in a sustainable and environment-friendly manner through, where appropriate, the safe use of conventional and modern biotechnologies in Armenia, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova.
• Increasing the resilience of small-scale farmers to the impacts of soaring food prices by improving capacity and institutional environment for seed production and the use of irrigation technologies (GCP/RER/026/AUS). The overall objective is to improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan affected by the soaring food prices though improved policies in the area of seed production, diversification and irrigation management.
• Capacity building on Obsolete and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Pesticides in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) countries (FSP) (GCP/INT/062/GFF). The aim is to create a strong platform on the elimination of obsolete pesticides and POPs in 9 countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia. The final result will bring a greater awareness of the danger of obsolete pesticides and an increased capacity to manage, dispose of and prevent obsolete pesticides and POPs stockpiles. In addition, the project will bring about information exchange and cooperation between 9 participating countries, as well as stimulate a systematic involvement of a wide range of stakeholders.
• Improving management of migratory and other locust in the Caucasus and Central Asia (TCP/INT/3202). The strategic long-term objective is to reduce the occurrence and intensity of locust outbreaks in the Caucasus and Central Asia, thus preventing damage to crops and rangeland as well as related impact on food security and livelihoods of the most vulnerable rural communities. The immediate objective is to improve national and regional locust management in the Caucasus and Central Asia through regional cooperation and capacity-building.
• European Commission (EC)/FAO Programme on information systems to improve food security decision-making in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)-East Area (GCP /GLO/275/EC). The Programme will address a series of constraints in order to achieve its objective of supporting effective government response strategies for greater food security.
Other Activities in the Country:
Ongoing TeleFood Projects:
• Apiculture (Bee-keeping) Honey Production (TFD-08/ARM/001);
• Development of Bee-keeping/apiculture in the Goris subregion (TFD-08/ARM/002);
• Support to vulnerable groups of population and development of wheat production (TFD-08/ARM/003);
• Development of Fish Farming for Rural Poor Families (TFD-08/ARM/004)
• Women Incomes’ Generation Through Goat Breeding (TFD-08/ARM/005) and
• Assistance in Poverty Mitigation and Development of Vegetable Growing (TFD-08/ARM/006)
The FAO Representation Office in Armenia organizes the annual World Food Day Celebration in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia, the State Agrarian University of Armenia, United Nations Agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other agriculture related organizations.
FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia is in the process of elaborating a National Medium-Term Priority Framework (NMTPF) for Armenia, which is a planning and management tool outlining how FAO can best assist Armenia in meeting its development priorities. The NMTPF will identify the main areas in which FAO will focus its assistance to support the Government’s development priorities in the areas of food security and agriculture and rural development. It is also FAO’s contribution to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) process.
Main Projects implemented in Armenia 1993-2006:
Reorganization and Strengthening of Food Control Security Services (TCP/ARM/6611)
Forestry Sector Development (TCP/ARM/4451)
Forestry Sector Development, Phase II (TCP/ARM/5612)
Sustainable Mountain Development (TCP/ARM/2801)
Strategy for Sustainable Agricultural Development (TCP/ARM/0065)
Sustainable Management of Oak Production Forest (TCP/ARM/2802)
Emergency Supply of Winter Wheat Seed, Spring Potato Seed and Animal Feed to Drought Affected Farmers (OSRO/ARM/001/GRE)
Emergency Supply of Animal Feed to Drought Affected Farmers (OSRO/ARM/101/NET)
Emergency Distribution of Locally Produced Potato Seed to Drought-Affected Farmers (TCP/ARM/0066)
Emergency Distribution of Locally Produced Potato Seed to Drought Affected Farmers (OSRO/ARM/103/CYP)
Emergency Supply of Winter Wheat Seed to Drought-Affected Farmers (OSRO/ARM/104/FRA)
Emergency Assistance to Farmers Affected by Frost (TCP/ARM/2903)
TCP/RER/2901 - "Institutional strengthening to facilitate intra- and inter-regional agricultural trade of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) member states"
Sustainable Mountain Development (TCP/ARM/3001)
Strengthening of the Locust Control Capacities (TCP/ARM/3002)
Rodent Control in Armenia (TCP/ARM/3003)
Support to the Preparation and Implementation of Land Consolidation and Improved Land Management Schemes (TCP/ARM/3004)
Strengthening Transboundary Animal Disease Diagnosis, Surveillance and Control Capacities (TCP/RER/3001)
Contact
Address: Room # 124, Government bld. 3, 0010 Yerevan, Armenia
Tel: (00374 10) 52 54 53
Fax: (00374 10) 56 58 71
E-mail: FAO-AM@fao.org
Links
FAO in Armenia - http://www.fao.org/world/armenia/index.htm
FAO Global - http://www.fao.org
