CARD Rural Development department offers technical services, expert consulting and programs in a variety of strategic areas, including business development, marketing, management, agricultural production, water management, and youth and women’s empowerment. To enhance its capacity, CARD engages the Armenian public and private sector, implementing programs which are at the core of the CARD mission with the following partner entities:

• The Small Farm Water Management Research Center (SFWRMC)
• The Armenian State Agrarian University and its Extension Service
• The ARID Goat Center
• Regional Agricultural Support Centers (ASCs)

Together, CARD Rural Development department and its partners offer the following programs and their respective services:

Market Infrastructure Development for Rural Communities

• Develops cold chain network
• Improves post-harvest handling and packaging of produce
• Regional marketplace development—wholesale and roadside markets
• Organizes regional agricultural fairs
• Provides business support for buying and contracting opportunities
• Develops market information systems
• Establishes and strengthens farmer, commodity, and inter-professional organizations

SME Development for Strategic Rural Areas

• Encourages and assists start-up businesses in rural areas
• Supports graduates from the Armenian State Agrarian University to work with SMEs

Youth and Women’s Rural Leadership Development

• Provides youth with opportunities to participate in educational and social activities to promote an educated citizenry in rural areas
• Assists young farmers to play increasingly important roles in their communities by improving agricultural production and marketing
• Supports women entrepreneurs to improve rural livelihoods
• Provides innovative farm operations and management techniques to youth and women who promote new agricultural knowledge within their communities

Improving Efficiency of Agricultural Production

• Supports animal and plant sectors at the farm level to improve the quality of products for further processing and marketing
• Introduces farming equipment, new crop varieties, and high quality livestock to improve production
• Improves veterinary and the health management systems in rural areas

Management of Water Resources in Agriculture

• Provides new or rehabilitates and upgrades existing irrigation systems
• Supervises the design and implementation of small-scale irrigation projects to improve efficient water use

Implementation of New Technologies and Introduction of New Input Supplies and Small Equipment

• Alleviates constraints of agricultural supply chains promotes and implements new technologies
• Introduces new input supplies and organizes crop variety trials.

CARD Rural Development department offers technical services, expert consulting and programs in a variety of strategic areas, including business development, marketing, management, agricultural production, water management, and youth and women’s empowerment. To enhance its capacity, CARD engages the Armenian public and private sector, implementing programs which are at the core of the CARD mission with the following partner entities:

• The Small Farm Water Management Research Center (SFWRMC)
• The Armenian State Agrarian University and its Extension Service
• The ARID Goat Center
• Regional Agricultural Support Centers (ASCs)

Together, CARD Rural Development department and its partners offer the following programs and their respective services:

Market Infrastructure Development for Rural Communities

• Develops cold chain network
• Improves post-harvest handling and packaging of produce
• Regional marketplace development—wholesale and roadside markets
• Organizes regional agricultural fairs
• Provides business support for buying and contracting opportunities
• Develops market information systems
• Establishes and strengthens farmer, commodity, and inter-professional organizations

SME Development for Strategic Rural Areas

• Encourages and assists start-up businesses in rural areas
• Supports graduates from the Armenian State Agrarian University to work with SMEs

Youth and Women’s Rural Leadership Development

• Provides youth with opportunities to participate in educational and social activities to promote an educated citizenry in rural areas
• Assists young farmers to play increasingly important roles in their communities by improving agricultural production and marketing
• Supports women entrepreneurs to improve rural livelihoods
• Provides innovative farm operations and management techniques to youth and women who promote new agricultural knowledge within their communities

Improving Efficiency of Agricultural Production

• Supports animal and plant sectors at the farm level to improve the quality of products for further processing and marketing
• Introduces farming equipment, new crop varieties, and high quality livestock to improve production
• Improves veterinary and the health management systems in rural areas

Management of Water Resources in Agriculture

• Provides new or rehabilitates and upgrades existing irrigation systems
• Supervises the design and implementation of small-scale irrigation projects to improve efficient water use

Implementation of New Technologies and Introduction of New Input Supplies and Small Equipment

• Alleviates constraints of agricultural supply chains promotes and implements new technologies
• Introduces new input supplies and organizes crop variety trials.