UNDP-GCF Armenia’s National Adaptation Plan project continues to promote women engagement in climate change adaptation and response.

This time, the Project arranged participation of women groups from Haykavan and Marmashen communities of Shirak region in the yearly Harvest festival, held on October 22-23. Practicing agriculture, these woman are no stranger to the impacts of climate change. Prolonged draughts, decrease in precipitation, water shortage, increase in frequency and intensity of weather extremes. Climate change continues to severely impact farmers all around the country.

Members of Haykavan and Marmashen women groups, however, are well aware of the importance of climate change adaptation. Using new heat and draught resistant crops, cultivating non-traditional crops, practicing mulching, and other climate change adaptation measures applicable in the agricultural sector, they have managed to mitigate negative impacts of climate change and ensure sustainable growth of their small cooperatives.

For example to negate harmful impacts of temperature increase that affect greatly potato harvests, they now cultivate early potatoes, avoiding the hottest summer months. Polka primocane raspberry varieties, better suited to the changed climate, allow to ensure better harvests and better options to satisfy the market demand.

Capitalizing on opportunities offered by the warmer temperatures, non-traditional crops are cultivated, such as Brussels sprouts, kale, asparagus, while extended agricultural season now allows for double cropping for some plants.

Promoting women engagement in climate change adaptation and response has been in the focus of UNDP-GCF Armenia’s National Adaptation Plan. Apart from assessing and including gender vulnerabilities in sectoral and marz adaptation plans, implementing awareness raising on issues faced by women and socially vulnerable groups in the context of climate change amongst state employees, media representatives, youth and general public, the Project cooperates with the government to include climate change vulnerabilities in the RA Gender Strategy and adopt “Climate change gender and social impacts mitigation plan for 2023-2025 and the respective list of measures”.