When Edik Harutyunyan began farming 20 years ago, he had little more than a small plot of land and a big goal. He wanted to prove to people in his rural community in Armenia that it is possible to earn enough money from farming to make a living – an anomaly in a country where thousands each year go abroad in search of seasonal work.
Today, his orchard is a lush 10 hectares full of juicy grapes, apricots and plums. By all standards, his is a success story, but it didn’t come without difficulties.
“I realized there would be many challenges on my way to growing my farm,” Edik says, adding that natural hazards like hail and frost and a lack of water often spoiled all the harvest. But he persevered, and with some help, he steadily grew his business. Among the people extending a helping hand were FAO experts who came to his farm to help him find ways “to improve the farming conditions,” he says.
FAO made sure part of his vineyard was covered with anti-hail nets and experts provided a drip irrigation system they helped Edik install. Soon, his vineyard became a demonstration ground where other farmers in the region could see new ways of farming and replicate them. Last year, Edik exported almost 60 tonnes of fruits, up from 15 tonnes from 5 years ago.
As Edik’s farm grew, so did his workforce, who, in turn, use the knowledge and planting materials that Edik provides them on their own farms.
It’s “the biggest happiness on earth,” he says, to enjoy the fruits of the hard work you put into your native land. But “Isn’t it a blessing to also realize that you have helped others to stay and create good for their land?”
His wife, sons and grandchildren also help take care of his orchard, making sure the experience passes on to a new generation.
“There is courage in putting all the available resources into cultivating the land,” says Edik. Ultimately, “we do it because we believe that selfless efforts guarantee the future we want.”
Edik benefited from an FAO project funded by the European Union through ENPARD.
