A culture of basic amelioration of land/soil before cultivation, which is common in developed countries, has not been formed among farmers of Armenia which use only traditional fertilizers available in the market.
To promote a new farming culture among farmers of Armenia in 2012 the JMF piloted Soil Analysis on Fertilizers and Chemicals Project to experiment the advantages of properly ameliorated and cultivated lands versus to the lands undergoing traditional amelioration and cultivation for vegetables growing. Project had experimental and meantime educational nature. It disclosed contemporary methodologies and approaches increasing the quality and quantity of the agricultural output and preventing the soil from corrosion on a long run.
Qajik Davtyan the head of Arevik Agricultural Cooperative from the village of Arevik, Armavir marz was one of the beneficiary farmers in the project. Except providing his land for the experimental project, Qajik followed project instructions and supported the JMF in project implementation with the farming work experience.
This is the second year already that Qajik has been admiring the benefits of available contemporary methods for land cultivation and vegetable growing. Recently the farmer visited the JMF office to thank the JMF and to inform that this year his tomato plant produced the quantity of tomato which broke the record of what he was usually assuming. Forty ton of tomato instead of previously harvested 25 ton. Isn’t it amazing? This motivated Qajik to provide some part of the harvest to the people from his village as well. After cultivating the 35 ton from 0,3 hectares of tomato Qajik Davtyan asked the people from his village to go and pick the remaining part of tomatoes (about 5 ton) in his plant for free. The fellow villagers got an opportunity to sell the provided tomatoes thus improving their social conditions and what is more important they realized that the method is really working and decided to try on their lands as well.
