Armenia Tree Project (ATP), the leading environmental NGO dedicated to planting trees and providing meaningful economic opportunities for rural Armenians, in collaboration with Green Lane NGO, successfully distributed nearly 1,000 boxes of vegetable seeds to families, institutions and small (up to 1,000 square meters) and large farms across Artsakh this year.
During the first distribution in February of 2023, 51 of ATP’s Artsakh Backyard Greenhouse Project beneficiaries in the Askeran and Martuni districts received five varieties of hybrid cucumber and tomato seeds for their greenhouses. The second distribution, completed on April 1st, expanded the program to include over 120 small and large farmers in all 30 villages of Martuni and farmers from seven villages in Askeran. Seed varieties in the second distribution were cucumber, tomato, okra, beet and spinach and were mostly non-hybrid seeds, so that farmers can collect and replant them next season. Azerbaijan’s continued blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia, has caused scarcity of fresh food and inflation in Artsakh. The Backyard Greenhouse Project and seed distributions aim to provide relief to this issue and promote food independence.
“The people who have over one hectare of land in Martuni said it was salvation to receive so many seeds. Otherwise, they would not have been able to grow tomatoes this year” said Masis Zargaryan, the deputy head of the Martuni District Administration of Artsakh. “The impact of the project has been so powerful that the International Committee of the Red Cross has also decided to support people by sending more seeds this month. The good work is contagious.”
“During this critical time for food supply in Artsakh, we are relieved to be able to continue supporting an ever-growing population of beneficiaries,” said ATP executive director Jeanmarie Papelian. “We continue to urge the international community to condemn Azerbaijan’s violent blockade of ethnic Armenians in Artsakh.”
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