Agriculture in Armenia

Armenia has 2.1 million hectares of agricultural land, 72% of the country’s land area. Most of this, however, is mountain pastures, and cultivable land is 480,000 hectares (452,900 hectares arable land, 27,300 hectares in orchards and vineyards), or 16% of the country’s area. In 2006, 46% of the work force was employed in agriculture (up from 26% in 1991), and agriculture contributed 21% of the country’s GDP. In 1991 Armenia imported about 65 percent of its food.

General information
Armenia is an important center for agro-biodiversity. Agriculture and gardening have been developing here for several thousand years. Armenia was one of the first places for the emergence of agriculture. The rich agrobiodiversity of Armenia is represented by wild relatives of cereal crops, wild-growing edible plants and a large number of plant varieties and animal breeds.

The diversity of wild related forms of cereal crops found in Armenia (22 species and 218 subspecies) was used to breed new varieties through breeding. Currently, a large number of plant species are grown in Armenia, including 6 types of grain crops, 366 fodder plants, 62 types of berries and 65 types of vegetables. In general, 521 plant species represent 16% of the total number of plants in Armenia. This reserve was created to protect the genetic diversity of wild, related forms of cereal crops. Here there are 3 species and 100 subspecies of wheat.

The history of agriculture in Armenia and Armenian communities
As of the middle and the end of the XIX century, mostly Armenians, Russians and Germans were engaged in farming in the Elizavetpol district. Of cereals, mainly sowed wheat, sowing which was up to 2/3 of all crops. Also, barley, millet, maize and rice crops were common. Gardening in the county was mainly occupied by Armenians, but due to the lack of a market, mostly for their own needs. In the gorges, Armenians sowed a lot of beans, tobacco was also bred in the Delizhan gorge. The cloth was also mainly worn by Armenians. The well-known center of cloth weaving was the village of Kotkend of the Kazakh administration, from which the unglazed cloth was exported to Tiflis. One of the most developed areas of economic activity was beekeeping. In each yard there were 5-6 hives, but the best apiaries were in the village of Dilijan, where there were 350 hives on two apiaries. At the same time in Derbent, Armenians along with other inhabitants of the city grew grapes, but were the only ones who made wine and vodka

Land privatization
In 1990 Armenia became the first Soviet republic to pass a land privatization law, and from that time Armenian farmland shifted into the private sector at a faster rate than in any other republic. However, the rapidity and disorganization of land reallocation led to disputes and dissatisfaction among the peasants receiving land. Especially problematic were allocation of water rights and distribution of basic materials and equipment. Related enterprises such as food processing and hothouse operations often remained in state hands, reducing the advantages of private landholding.

Swift and decisive privatization quickly eliminated the collective and state farms, which had dominated Armenian agriculture in the Soviet period. Already by 1992 privatization of the state and collective farms had put 63% of cultivated fields, 80% of orchards, and 91% of vineyards in the hands of family farmers. In 2006, family farmers were producing 98% of gross agricultural output, i.e., in 15 years Armenian agriculture transformed completely from the traditional Soviet model of large agricultural enterprises to the market-oriented model of individual or family farms.

The privatization program yielded an immediate 15% increase in gross agricultural output between 1990 and 1991. Agricultural growth continued unabated, and by 2006 gross agricultural output had increased by 75% compared with its level in 1990. This growth record has not been matched by any of the CIS countries, putting Armenia in a unique position of stellar agricultural performer in CIS. In 1993 the government ended restrictions on the transfer of private land, a step expected to increase substantially the average size (and hence the efficiency) of private plots. At the end of 1993, an estimated 300,000 small farms (one to five hectares) were operating. In that year, harvests were bountiful despite the high cost of input; only the disastrous state of Armenia’s transportation infrastructure prevented relief of food shortages in urban centers.

Agricultural production
Agriculture is carried out mainly in the valleys and mountainsides of Armenia’s uneven terrain, with the highest mountain pastures used for livestock grazing. Fertile volcanic soil allows cultivation of wheat and barley as well as pasturage for sheep, goats, and horses. With the help of irrigation, figs, pomegranates, apricots, and olives also are grown in the limited subtropical Aras River valley and in the valleys north of Yerevan, where the richest farmland is found. Armenia also produces peaches, walnuts, and quince, and its cognac enjoys a worldwide reputation.

Irrigation is required by most crops, and the building of canals and a system of irrigation was among the first major state projects of the Soviet republic in the 1920s. By the 1960s, arable land had been extended by 20 percent, compared with pre-Soviet times. Most farms had electricity by the early 1960s, and machinery was commonplace. In the Soviet era, women made up most of the agricultural work force; a large percentage of the younger men had responded to the Soviet industrialization campaign by migrating to urban centers. In 1989 farms were operating about 13,400 tractors and 1,900 combines. Unlike other CIS countries, Armenia did not suffer a catastrophic decline in its farm machinery inventory during the privatization, and in 2006 there were 14,600 tractors and 1,700 combines in Armenian farms.

Agricultural production is heavily biased toward crops, which in 2006 accounted for 64% of gross agricultural output. The principal agricultural products are grains (mostly wheat and barley), potatoes, vegetables, grapes (both table and wine), and fruits. In 2006, Armenia produced 212,500 tons of grain, 539,500 tons of potatoes, 915,000 tons of vegetables and melons, 286,000 tons of fruits, and 201,400 tons of grapes. All these numbers (except for grain) constitute significant increases compared with 1989, when Armenia produced 200,000 tons of grain, 266,000 tons of potatoes, 485,000 tons of vegetables, 170,000 tons of fruit, and 119,000 tons of grapes. Livestock production in 2006 reached 66,800 tons of meat (slaughter weight), 620,000 tons of milk, and 464 million eggs. The corresponding livestock production numbers in 1989 were 105,000 tons of meat, 491,000 tons of milk, and 561,000 tons of eggs, i.e., only milk production increased significantly during the post-Soviet period.

Indicators
About 46.8% of the territory of Armenia is suitable for agriculture, of which 16% are arable land. Every year the volume of cultivated land increases. So, if in 2010 about 62% of the lands of Armenia suitable for agriculture were processed, then in 2014 about 74%.

Crop production
A lot of plants are used for livestock feed (about 2,000 species). The main ones are: alfalfa (Medicago sativa), clover (Trifolium), sainfoin (Onobrychis).

The most important center for growing various types of plants is the Ararat plain. This is due to the flat terrain and a large number of sunny days per year.

Armenians, along with the Ossetians and Khevsurs, are the main thieves in the Caucasus.

Livestock

Cattle breeding
From ancient times Armenia was the center of cattle breeding. Wild relatives of domesticated species also occur here. Endemic breeds of sheep, derived from their wild ancestor, the Armenian moufflon, are mentioned already in the IX century BC. e.

Overgrazing of small cattle is observed in Armenia, which contributes to erosion processes. The area of natural forage land in 1940 amounted to 14 million hectares, at the moment – less than 805 thousand hectares.

Fisheries
In the ponds of Armenia with above-water vegetation and soft bottom ground, carp (Cyprinus carpio), white carp (Hypophthalmichtys molitrix) and cupid (Ctenopharygodon idella) are bred. In narrow ponds with concrete walls and bottom, the main types of fish bred for sale are: rainbow trout (Parasalmo mykiss), lake trout (Salmo trutta m. Fario), Sevan trout (Salmo ischchan), Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri). Amateur fishing is allowed on all water bodies, except for those that are in protected areas.

Sevan
Commercial fishing is developed on Lake Sevan, in some years the catch reaches 2000 tons (90% of the national catch). However, ecological changes led to a reduction in the number of previously economically important species (Sevan trout (Salmo ischchan) and Sevan chrome (Varicorhinus capoeta sevangi)), and an increase in catches (Coregonus) and carp (Carassius auratus).

Hunting
Since ancient times, many birds and animals have been hunted in Armenia, including the quail (Coturnix couturnix), the stone partridge (Alectoris graeca), the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), the blue-dove (Columba livia), foxes (Vulpes vulpes), wolves (Canis lupus), deer (Cervus spp.), wild boar (Sus scrofa), wild sheep (Ovis musimon). Populations of many species of game have declined sharply, and hunting for many of the listed mammals is now prohibited. Snakes, including the Armenian adder (Vipera raddei and Gyurza (Vipera lebetina), are collected and used in folk medicine.

Source from Wikipedia