Within this objective, the Program will renovate and upgrade the ANAU existing facility and surrounding area at the Aghavnadzor village of Kotayk region to serve as an AgriCamp Practical Learning Center.

The AgriCamp will promote the innovative agriculture training and learning and will host summer schools, events, short trainings and meetings of other formats to enable Program target groups to obtain knowledge and skills in innovative agriculture practices. The Center will provide camp services for the students/graduates of ANAU and young professionals pursuing a career or currently involved in the agricultural sector. Moreover, AgriCamp will invite agripreneurs from rural Armenia to obtain new skills to expand their businesses and increase their production sophistication.

To minimize food waste and loss and introduce a culture of no waste among young generation, the AgriCamp aims at the adoption of Circular Economy principles.

Activities outlined under this objective tend to empower ANAU students, staff, graduates, youth interested in agriculture, and young professionals to develop their knowledge and soft skills. The target groups will learn innovative agricultural approaches and obtain modern knowledge and skills necessary to meet the market demand and lead to the sector competitiveness. Participants will utilize technological advancements, including IT solutions in agriculture such as GIS maps and agricultural drones, greenhouse technologies, circular economy approach, food safety approaches, etc. This will be achieved through hands-on short-term professional trainings and skill-building, as well as summer schools on different innovative agriculture topics.

AGRI CAMP under this objective seeks to support the immediate and post-COVID-19 economic recovery in Armenia through technical assistance and limited co-investments to support the implementation of economic stimulus programs of the Government of Armenia, which are intended to counter economic shocks in the regions and promote development of agriculture. This is one of the sectors with the greatest potential to catalyze an economic “bounce back” and to build economic recovery and resiliencies within Armenia. Supporting SMEs/farmers and building the presence and capacities of cooperative members will be the focus of this objective.

Capacity building for cooperative members/SMEs/farmers: Knowledge advancing and capacity building activities will be implemented for coop-members and SMEs/farmers with a vision to positively contribute to increased productivity of their operations. The content of training will capitalize on findings of knowledge and skill gap assessment results and focus on facilitating cooperation among farmers with the goal of resource optimization, productivity increase, enhancement of quality production and higher market bargaining power.

Technical assistance to cooperatives/SMEs/farmers: The Program will provide in-kind grants to the most active and successful cooperative members and SMEs/farmers to support business development, agricultural cooperation, productivity growth and rural entrepreneurship enhancement.

Within this objective, the Program will address the economic gender gap by increasing access to innovative solutions and technology for women in the agricultural sector to raise productivity and promote inclusive rural economic development in Armenia. It will support the invention, adaptation, and dissemination of new context-relevant technologies to increase growth in agricultural productivity with a focus on female entrepreneurs and employees.

Capacity building of female farmers and agripreneurs: Drawing from the program-organized needs assessment for new and innovative solutions in agriculture, the Program will develop several training modules to raise productivity and enhance women’s access to agricultural innovations. These modules will be used to train women agripreneurs, female farmers, local government representatives throughout Armenia to better evaluate opportunities for innovation, successfully adopt new farm practices and technologies as well as ensure high quantity and quality yield.

Organization of “Agrithons” for generating and scaling-up innovative products and services: The Program will organize “Agrithons” – a contest/platform bringing together diverse specialists, including but not limited to agriculture specialists, female rural entrepreneurs, software developers, engineers, and other relevant partners  together to further pursue productivity and other demand-driven solutions in agriculture. “Agrithons” will help participants improve their understanding of innovative solutions, promote networking and collaboration, and generate ideas for new product and service solutions for women agripreneurs. This contest/platform will allow the teams with a focus on women-owned companies and women led technical teams from all over Armenia to participate in a creative and stimulating atmosphere and to work on finalizing their ideas/products/services guided by experienced mentors and experts. During the final Event, the most innovative, creative, impactful and sustainable products/services will receive funding from the Program to support their development and promotion.

Promoting engagement of students in research and development: The Program will promote the engagement of female students in agricultural research and development activities by providing incentives, professional guidance and small research grants to ANAU students. With advisory from ANAU faculty, the students will conduct their researches at the facilities of AgriHUB, ANAU demonstration greenhouse, as well as other infrastructural facilities of ICARE and ANAU.

Establishing and developing AgriHUB platform: The AgriHUB is a creative platform/workshop for nurturing, incubating and accelerating successful and effective agricultural and agro-technology ideas, prototypes, products and services. AgriHUB will serve to unleash the innovative potential of students, young professionals and agricultural entrepreneurs in Armenia. It will also serve as a center for practical training and inclusive learning for youth coming from all around Armenia who are eager to learn and experiment with up-to-date agricultural technologies, as well as create cross-sector synergies among agribusiness, high tech, tourism, education, wellness and healthcare, etc. It will help to foster women’s engagement and leadership in agri-research, innovation and entrepreneurship. AgriHUB will be located in the facilities and the surrounding agricultural plot owned by ICARE in Proshyan community, which is near Yerevan.