ArmInfo.The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with an expert group of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, developed a bill on ensuring the efficient use of agricultural land, which was submitted to the working group of the Ministry of Economy for discussion and making proposals.
According to the FAO press service, the bill was developed with the aim of assisting sustainable agriculture and rural development through the development of the land market, enlargement of farms, the transformation of small agricultural producers into commercial farms, reduction of unused land, etc.
The report notes that the main reason for land non-use in Armenia is the inefficient structure of farms, fragmentation of land plots, migration and an aging rural population. In addition, the fact that the crop production is strictly dependent on water resources, the unsatisfactory state of irrigation infrastructures, land degradation due to climate change, and others can be attributed to these facts.
The draft law is part of the FAO technical assistance program, which was launched at the end of 2019. The program is implemented with the aim of creating and launching a new legal and institutional framework, as well as introducing land management tools based on the best European experience. According to Maxim Gorgan, FAO land tenure specialist, before applying the developed tools throughout the RA, the program will initially be implemented in three pilot communities of Armavir region.
To recall, FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations leading international efforts to combat hunger. The organization's activities are aimed at ensuring food security for all and guaranteeing regular access of the population to high-quality food. FAO, with more than 194 member countries, operates in more than 130 countries around the world.
Assistance to the FAO of Armenia is carried out in accordance with six priority areas of cooperation agreed upon with the government: capacity building and support in the field of rural development policy and regional economic integration; assistance in animal husbandry and animal health; crop production and plant protection strategies focusing on plant genetic resources and vegetable seed production; forestry development strategies; environmentally friendly technologies for the development of fisheries and aquaculture; development of national agricultural statistics.
