Artsakh 2023: Agriculture is crucial amidst the illegal blockade

The ongoing blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan keeps residents under constant threat and looming uncertainty about their future. Locals struggle to provide even the most basic necessities for themselves and their families amidst the worsening humanitarian crisis, which has depleted energy sources and gutted the economy, already weakened by the 44-day war in 2020. The situation is worrisome in Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh, as compared with the villages because of the meager agricultural land for growing food and lack of transportation means due to fuel deficiencies. 

Armenia Tree Project (ATP) checked in with beneficiaries of its Artsakh Backyard Greenhouse Program, to whom it had distributed vegetable seeds before the blockade. ATP’s 51 Backyard Nursery beneficiaries from the Askeran and Martuni districts have some alternatives to the shortages. In addition to cultivating their backyards, they grow vegetables and greens in the small greenhouses. This helps them and their families to overcome malnutrition and restricted diets.