Harutyun Sahakyan, a participant of the “Strengthening the Horticulture in Armenia”, shares his opinion with us about the online training program.

“The training program “Strengthening the Horticulture in Armenia” organized by ICARE Foundation and Delphy has the utmost importance for Armenian farmers and agripreneurs. The online training course provides invaluable knowledge and skills for those who want to be specialized in greenhouse construction and management. Before launching the program, many participants owned their greenhouses, but they didn’t know how to properly manage the construction works and ongoing agricultural activities. Thus, this program enables greenhouse owners to build up their knowledge not only in technological operations but also attain an economic mindset such as how to invest and understand the financial rationale behind it.

In my personal opinion, the international experience is mandatory for future success and the “Strengthening the Horticulture in Armenia” training program was indeed a good choice for my career. One can have the best greenhouse in the world in terms of its construction, however, if h/she cannot ensure accurate climatic conditions in the greenhouse or techniques behind successful crop production, the entire operation might fail. Therefore, we need specialists who will be able to share their knowledge and the experience of best practices. Unfortunately, few people can be found in Armenia, who are well-aware of greenhouse management, that is why the international experience is very important and it should be adopted and adjusted with the local requirements.

During this program, I gained comprehensive knowledge on the climatic conditions of the greenhouses and their management and I continue learning a lot.  I would highly recommend people who have initial knowledge on the subject to take this course in the future if there is the possibility to”.

The purpose of this project is to contribute to strengthening the horticulture sector in Armenia, through sharing Dutch knowledge and best practices with professionals and students.