Within the scope of the educational component of FRUITENIA project, 80 participants were selected from more than 100 applicants of the training course on establishment and management of fruit orchards and only 50 received certificates of completion on June 13 at ICARE. The project is funded by Austrian Development Agency. The trainers were well-known experts of the field from ANAU and elsewhere.
Vice Rector International Relations and Educational Reforms, Mariam Movsisyan was present at the ceremony. ICARE Director, Artur Grigoryan and Head of Educational Component, FRUITENIA, Susanna Mezhlumyan handed over the certificates and congratulated the participants. Mr. Grigoryan, Ms. Mezhlumyan and the ANAU Dean of Agronomy, Armenak Ter-Grigoryan valued this unprecedented opportunity to prepare enthusiasts to become practitioners in the developing field of intensive orchard management and thanked the Austrian Development Agency and the Agrarian University. For this achievement, they warmly welcomed the participants who have different backgrounds and have already established or will establish and/or work in intensive orchards.
Magda Aghababyan and Vilik Grigoryan thanked ICARE, ANAU and the ADA for the important new knowledge and experience they have acquired. Toward the end of the ceremony, Susanna Mezhlumyan asked the participants to select the most active participant of the training program: almost unanimously, Artsruni Aghajanyan (a former Parliament Member, by the way) was selected. While receiving the special award, the book “Integrated Control of pests and diseases”, Mr. Aghajanyan thanked once again the organizers and said, “It is now important to share our innovative knowledge and precious experience with interested people in our respective communities.”
“Establishment and Management of Intensive Orchards” course is another important milestone in the educational component of the multi-component FRUITENIA megaproject. Within the project, seven courses were developed and/or modernized for the Agronomy Department of ANAU, an intensive orchard on 1.5 hectares was established in Voskahat, the www.aygi.am website was launched for the beneficiaries in the horticulture field, including farmers and students, etc.
