approved in general assembly of - un community_eng.pdf · by tigran b the great. yervandashat,...

Approved in General Assembly ofYervandashat CommunityOn June 30, 2006

Republic of ArmeniaArmavir Marz

YERVANDASHAT COMMUNITY 2006-2008INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Yervandashat Village - 2006

CONTENTS

1. Introduction ....................................................................................32. General Overview ..........................................................................43. Vision of Yervandashat Community ..............................................64. Social-Economic Situation Analysis ...............................................75. Problem Identification and Analysis .............................................146. Analysis of Priority Problems ......................................................167. Statement of Outputs ...................................................................188. Medium-Term Projects and Underlying Priorities.........................189. Project Development....................................................................2010. Annexes .....................................................................................22

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1. Introduction

To facilitate sustainable and integrated rural development and to assistlocal government bodies and the population of communities in Armenia, theUnited Nations Development Program (UNDP) Community Developmentand Performance Budgeting Projects have, jointly with the YervandashatCommunity, initiated and elaborated the 2006-2008 Integrated DevelopmentPlan of the Community. This effort has not been confined to functions cur-rently performed by the Community. The Development Plan is anchored ina Community Development Vision articulated by its inhabitants, covering thedevelopment goals of the community as a whole. The Plan has been devel-oped by means of conducting a comprehensive analysis of the impact of theexternal environment on the Community, the social-economic situation in theCommunity, and the existing and potential capacity and resources (natural,geographic, economic, social, financial, and human). It is a guideline forintegrated community develop-ment, which may serve as a basisfor policy-making at all levels ofgovernment.

Financial resources and proj-ect outputs have been evaluatedin order to make the Plan evenmore realistic.

The Plan is in conceptualagreement with the UN MillenniumDevelopment Goals and Targets,the Poverty Reduction StrategyProgram, the 2006-2008 Medium-Term Expenditure Frameworkadopted by the ArmenianGovernment, the Integrated Development Plan of Armenia's BorderlineRegions, the Millennium Challenge Project, and Marz Development Plans.

The objectives and priorities set forth in the Plan are not final and can beadjusted in the course of implementation.

The whole plan development process and the methodology are providedin Annex 1.

On the road to Yervandashat

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2. General Overview

Armavir Marz (Region). TheArmavir Marz of the Republic ofArmenia is located in the West ofthe country-bordering Turkey, theAragatsotn and Ararat Marzes ofArmenia, and the City of Yerevan.The Marz capital is the City ofArmavir. There are three urban(Ejmiatsin, Armavir, and Metsa-mor) and 94 rural communities inthe Marz. The Marz has a surfacearea of 1,254 square kilometers, of which agricultural land occupies 700.5square kilometers (70,049 hectares). The Marz takes up 4.2% of Armenia'sterritory; it has a population of 279,300 (as of April 1, 2006)-being the thirdlargest after Yerevan City and the Lori Marz. The Yerevan-Armavir-Karakert-Gyumri republican highway passes through the territory of the Armavir Marz.The main railway of Armenia-the Yerevan-Tbilisi railway, also passesthrough the Armavir Marz. Armavir stands out by its developed agricultureand industry. Its geographic position and climate are favorable for both plantcultivation (including perennial plants and vegetables) and livestock breed-ing. Armavir's agriculture contributed 15.2% of the country's gross agricul-ture output in 2005.

Although economic development has supported a significant reduction ofpoverty in the country, surveys indicate that poverty in the Armavir Marz(36.0%) is higher than the national average of 34.6%.

In Armavir, there are numerous historical and cultural monuments andcenters, including the Metsamor and Zvartnotz Archeological Museums, theNational Ethnography Museum in Sardarapat, Lake Aygher (the largestsource of underground water in Armenia), the ancient pagan centerBagaran, the monuments to Musaler and Sardarapat Heroic Battles, HolySee St. Ejmiatsin, and the ruins of the Armavir and Yervandashat capitals ofHistoric Armenia.

* "Armenia Social Snapshot and Poverty" Statistical-Analytical Report for 2005.

Yervandashat

Armavir Marz

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Background

The Village Yervandashat (named Kheribeklu prior to 1967) is located ata point where the rivers Arax and Akhuryan converge-53 kilometers west ofthe Marz Capital Armavir, on the border with Turkey. The Village is close tothe Yervandashat Capital of the historic Yervanduni Kingdom, which wasfounded by King Yervand D at the end of the 3rd, beginning of 2nd centuriesBC, in the Yeraskhadzor Province of the Ayrarat State.

In the 360s AD, Yervandashat was destroyed by the army of the PersianKing Shapuh B. Near today's Village, traces of the walls, streets, and build-ings of the once-capital cityhave been preserved. Here,one can also find relics of amedieval settlement, a basilicchurch (4th-5th centuriesAD), khachkars ("cross-stones"), and lithographicwritings. The Armenian histo-rian Movses Khorenatzi wrotethat, because of the Araxstream moving away fromArmavir and leaving it withoutany drinking water in the win-ter, Yervand transferred thecourt to the Western side andbuilt a new capital. He put awall around the hill, built copper gates into the walls, with iron stairs to thebottom, and traps to capture the plotters. To supply water to the city, he hadwells dug underneath the walls, accessing the river. However, politics,rather than climate, was the reason for moving the capital city. Armavir wasseized by Artashes, so Yervand had to found a new capital city. Other thanArmenians, Yervandashat was inhabited by migrants from countries invadedby Tigran B the Great. Yervandashat, through which lay the Artashat-Tigranakert and Artashat-Satagh roads, maintained commercial, economic,and cultural ties with neighboring states.

In the school of Yervandashat

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3. Vision of Yervandashat Community

The community vision is a desirable situation in the future towards whichall the members of the community collectively aspire.

TThhee vviissiioonn ooff YYeerrvvaannddaasshhaatt CCoommmmuunniittyy

TThhee YYeerrvvaannddaasshhaatt CCoommmmuunniittyy hhaass ccuullttiivvaatteedd aanndd ffeerrttiillee llaanndd pplloottss,,yyiieellddiinngg pprroodduuccttss tthhaatt aarree llooccaallllyy pprroocceesssseedd,, aass wweellll aass 2244-hhoouurr wwaatteerrssuuppppllyy,, ddeevveellooppeedd aanndd wweellll-lliitt ssttrreeeettss,, aa ffuunnccttiioonniinngg kkiinnddeerrggaarrtteenn,, aacchhuurrcchh,, aanndd vvaarriioouuss nnoonn-ggoovveerrnnmmeennttaall oorrggaanniizzaattiioonnss..

Community hall meeting

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4. Social-Economic Situation Analysis*

4.1. Sector Analysis

44..11..11.. DDeemmooggrraapphhyyThe Community comprises 204 households. The actual population (as of

January 1, 2006) is 748, including 370 male and 378 female. The adult pop-ulation is 431, of which 58 are retired pensioners. In the Community, thereare seven single mothers, 32 families that receive family allowances, 75families with multiple (three or more) children, two families of deceased free-dom-fighters, and 10 families living in temporary dwellings. There is virtual-ly no emigration from the Community. The Community population growthhas averaged 8% during the last three years, compared to 0.5% in theArmavir Marz and 0.2% nationwide.

44..11..22.. EEmmppllooyymmeennttThe Community population is mainly occupied in agriculture. The Village

Municipality, the school, the ambulatory, and the culture center employ atotal of 35 people. The private businesses that operate in the community(i.e. a dried fruit/vegetable production workshop and a cheese productionworkshop) employ 10-15 more.

In the Community, seven people are registered as unemployed, includ-ing four women and three men.

There is seasonal occupation in the Community. During the non-hus-bandry season (approximately four months between November andFebruary), the Community population is mostly under-occupied (occupiedonly with livestock breeding).

In husbandry, there is hired employment. According to some rough esti-mates, 100 people per season are hired to work in other farms in theCommunity. The remuneration for one day's work in husbandry is 3,000drams, while work in livestock breeding earns approximately 3,000-5,000drams.

44..11..33.. AAggrriiccuullttuurreeThe Village is settled at an altitude of 1,050 meters above sea level. Its

administrative territory is 3,807 hectares, of which 993.8 hectares (22.8%) is

* There is scarce information on the social-economic situation in the Community due to the lack ofreporting, which has made the analysis rather difficult. Trends in certain sectors have been estimatedon the basis of expert opinions and interviews.

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agricultural land. Arable land is 245.8 hectares; fruit orchards and vineyardsoccupy 95 hectares; grasslands are 16 hectares; and pastures are 637hectares. In Soviet times, the Yervandashat Collective Farm specialized ingrape production, fruit production, vegetable production, and dairy produc-tion. Prior to 1968, it also produced cotton. Recently, there have been someimprovements in plant cultivation: the area of land under fruit and vineyardshas been growing (as new orchards and vineyards have been established toreplace lower-value plants such as wheat, barley, and lucern). This is main-ly due to higher demand for and increased prices of fruit and grapes in themarket. It is also due to an increase in the volumes of processing (dried fruitand vegetable production) in the Community. According to some estimates,the Community produced 940 tons of fruit, 40 tons of grapes, 450 tons oftruck crops, and 540 tons of melons and gourds in 2005.

Livestock breeding, too, is developing rapidly in the Community. Cattleand sheep breeding, in particular, have strong potential of development-mainly due to the existence of pastures. During the last three-four years, thenumber of cattle and sheep in the Community has grown by 15-20%. Pig-breeding and poultry breeding are less developed in the Community, mainlydue to the lack of fodder (caused by the reduction of grain fields and theremoteness of condensed fodder markets and high prices). As of January1, 2006, there were 451 heads of cattle in the Community, including 178cows, 1,510 sheep and goats, 65 pigs, and 2,006 birds, including 1,415hens. In 2005, 45 tons of meat was sold, and 402 tons of milk and 2.3 tonsof wool produced.

44..11..44.. NNoonn-AAggrriiccuullttuurraall PPrroodduuccttiioonnNon-agricultural production is underdeveloped in the Community. There

are two small shops, one fuel sale point, one fodder mill, one dried fruit andvegetable workshop (which employs 12 people during the high season), andone small workshop for cheese production (which employs three people).

44..11..55.. PPoottaabbllee aanndd IIrrrriiggaattiioonn WWaatteerrThe potable water network in the Community, which is five kilometers

long, is in an inadequate condition. Potable water is supplied from naturalsources, during four hours per day. There are frequent breakages in theCommunity network. The cost of energy consumed by pumps (averagingAMD 700,000 per annum) is born out of the Community budget, and the res-idents do not pay potable water fees.

Irrigation water is delivered from the River Akhuryan, through the neigh-boring Village of Bagaran. The irrigation network within the Community is indire straits. Village experts estimate irrigation water losses of close to 30%.

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Farms pay an average of AMD 45,000 per hectare for irrigation water (com-pared to an Armavir Marz average of AMD 50,000).

44..11..66.. EEdduuccaattiioonn,, HHeeaalltthh,, aanndd CCuullttuurreeThe Community residents consider access to high-quality education

essential. Pre-school education is currently physically inaccessible. TheCommunity kindergarten was functional until 1997. Because of the accidentcondition of the kindergarten building, the kindergarten operated within theschool building for one year-until 1998. The kindergarten building needsreinforcement and renovation (village experts estimate that a new buildingwould cost less). As of January 1, 2006, there were 47 children of pre-school age in the Community.

Although the government pays particular attention to secondary educa-tion in borderline communities (the Yervandashat School is funded under aspecial procedure* , where the amount of funding depends on the classstructure, rather than the number of students), the physical conditions, furni-ture, utilities, and academic facilities within the school are extremely poor.The current building of the school was built in 1987 for 397 students. In2005, the roof of the school was renovated with the support of the WorldBank Social Investment Fund. The physical conditions in the school are cur-rently inadequate. The school does not have either sewerage or heating.

In 2006, 193 schoolchildren attended the school: this number, however,tends to grow (182 in 2004 and 175 in 2005). There are 11 classes in theschool, each of which has no more than 20 students, which is lower than thestandard prescribed for secondary education (25-30 per class and 20-25 forhigh school). Twelve of the 16 teachers that work in the school have highereducation, though there is a need for training them. Three foreign languages(Russian, French, and German) are taught in the school. The school hasshifted to the new mode of governance by a school board. There is no extra-school education activity in the community. There is neither a sport schoolnor any center of children's or young people's creativity or arts.

Health services are delivered by a community-owned health center. Thebuilding of the health center was constructed in 1958 and served as a 12-bed in-patient ward until 1999. This building is in adequate condition. Thehealth center serves four villages in the region (Yervandashat, Bagaran,Vanand, and Koghbavan), as well as the servicemen of the border-guarddetachment. During the last five years, there have not been reported casesof maternal or child death in the Community. Disease prevention and earlydiagnosis activities are carried out sufficiently well in the Community, while

* Republic of Armenia Government Decree 773 dated August 25, 2001.

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primary health care suffers from a lack of resources. The ambulatory doesnot have sufficient medication (the availability of antidote, in particular, is aserious problem). From 1999 to date, a revolving drug fund has operated inthe Community. The furniture and equipment in the health center are suffi-cient. The center has an ambulance. The physician has been trained.

Cultural life in the Community is scarce. Despite the favorable conditionof the Culture Center in the Community (owing to cosmetic repairs per-formed in 2005 with funding from the Community budget, though furniture isneeded), it does not serve its primary function. The Community does nothave appropriate conditions either to support the social, spiritual, cultural,and physical development of young people, or to enable the full realizationof their creative potential.

44..11..77.. UUttiilliittiieessA gas main is currently being constructed [by ArmRusGasProm].

Garbage removal is not organized in the Community, and the residentsthrow the garbage just about anywhere. Individual toilets are not in ade-quate condition due to the lack of water and sewerage mains. There is asystem of street lighting, which does not function, because the VillageMunicipality cannot pay for the required electricity.

44..11..88.. TTrraannssppoorrtt aanndd CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonnssThe Armavir-Yervandashat road is in adequate condition, while the 47

kilometers of roads within the Community are not. The Armavir-Yervandashatregular bus (which serves Yervandashat and Bagaran) reachesYervandashat once a day. The fare is 400 drams one way. In the Community,there are 61 passenger cars and 22 trucks. There is a post office that doesnot operate routinely: newspapers and mail are received once a week. Thereis only one direct access telephone number. There is an internal automated-switch telephone station with an installed capacity of 120 numbers, of whichonly 63 are currently in use. The mobile operator VivaCell is currently work-ing to make the mobile telephony accessible in the Community. TheCommunity receives only four TV stations (H1, Shant, Armenia, and Kultura).The village does not have access to internet connection.

44..11..99.. HHoouussiinngg SSttoocckkThe Community has a housing stock of 14,140 square meters, of which

400 in multi-apartment buildings, 13,240 in mansions, and 500 in temporarydwellings. 74 families do not have housing (this number includes the youngfamilies that live in the parents' houses). 12 families (with a total of 65 mem-bers) live in temporary housing.

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44..11..1100.. NNaattuurraall EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt aanndd LLeeiissuurree AArreeaassThere are no leisure areas in the Community. The air is clean. The water

from natural sources, though salty, is drinkable. There are forest layers onthe banks of River Arax. The river, however, is beyond the border barbwire.

44..11..1111.. SSoocciiaall TTiieess aanndd RReellaattiioonnssThere is cohesion in the Community, which, however, has not led to the

formation of social institutions like unions, associations, initiative groups etc.There are no formal associations in the Community. The Community hasclose ties with a nearby (approximately 2 kilometers) Village of Bagaran.There is no clerical institution in the Village.

44..11..1122.. LLooccaall SSeellff-GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt BBooddiieessSince 1991, Hovnan Avetissyan has been the Community Head. He was

most recently re-elected on October 16, 2005, when he ran as the sole can-didate. The Community Council comprises five members elected on theaforementioned date (from among five nominated candidates). TheCommunity Head has created a five-position staff with the following struc-ture:

Four members of the Village Municipality staff have higher or vocationaleducation. The staff needs professional training. The Municipality buildingis in good shape, but lacks technical equipment.

44..11..1133.. CCoommmmuunniittyy AAsssseettss aanndd BBuuddggeettThe Community owns one culture center, one [idle] kindergarten, one

ambulatory, one library, the intra-community potable and irrigation water net-works (a 5-kilometer potable water network and a 12-kilometer irrigationwater network), one administrative building, one passenger car ("Niva"),2,348 hectares of agricultural and non-agricultural land, and an idle commu-nity illumination network.

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The Community budget is mainly filled by land tax, property tax, and cen-tral government subsidies. The budget revenue side execution is good: in2005, budget revenue execution was 100%, while expenditure executionwas 99%. As of July 1, 2006, budget revenue execution was 30.2%, whileexpenditure execution was 22.2%.

The large expenditures of the fund budget of the Community [in 2005]were of a non-recurrent nature-financed by the proceeds of the sale of com-munity-owned land plots. In 2005, such capital expenses were incurred toco-finance the installation of gas lines in the Community. The 2006 fundbudget contemplates expenditures [of AMD 410,700] for the acquisition ofcapital assets for the water supply system, all of which will be financed withthe opening unengaged balance for the year, i.e. the Community does notanticipate to earmark any other revenue for financing capital expenditures in2006.

The financial capacity of the Village Municipality does not support theimplementation (or even the initiation) of medium-term projects deemed pri-orities by the Community; therefore, the current year's Community budgetdoes not contemplate any expenditures in this area.

The Community is ready to have a share participation in capital invest-ment projects carried out by other organizations, as such participation canbe financed from the sale of community-owned land.

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44..11..1144.. PPrroojjeeccttss IImmpplleemmeenntteedd iinn tthhee CCoommmmuunniittyyAccording to information provided by the Municipality, the following proj-

ects have been implemented in the Community in recent years:

4.2. Analysis of Internal and External Factors

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5. Problem Identification and Analysis

During the first Community General Assembly, the problems faced by theCommunity were identified. These problems were later elaborated and ana-lyzed in the focus group. The problems were analyzed on the basis of mate-rials received in the frameworks of the "My Vision for Development ofYervandashat" essay contest. The findings are summarized below:

Poor state of roads within the Community Absence of a kindergarten Absence of a church Poor health care Insufficient access to television Inadequate supply of potable water No Internet access Lack of housing Inadequacies of transport communication Limited capacity for agricultural processing Inadequate conditions for culture and sports Vulnerability to natural disasters Inadequacy of irrigation Absence of formal social institutions Low quality of education Inadequate utilities and housing conditions

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Identified problems were assessed and sorted out according to acute-ness and trend of the problem. The problems that scored more than half ofthe possible maximum number of points were considered urgent problemsor priorities (For more details see Annex 1).

Here are the priorities: Poor state of roads within the Community Absence of a kindergarten Absence of a church Poor health care Insufficient access to television Inadequate supply of potable water Limited capacity for agricultural processing Absence of formal social institutions Low quality of education

øÝÝ³ñÏáõÙ »ñÇï³ë³ñ¹Ý»ñÇ ýáÏáõë ËÙµáõÙ:

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6. Analysis of Priority Problems Using a Causality SchemeAfter a set of priority problems was defined, causal links were explored

and solutions proposed (see Table 5)

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7. Statement of Outputs

Based on the analysis of urgent problems, the following outputs havebeen defined:

Roads within community are in good condition The kindergarten is operating The church is functioning The quality of health care is sufficient The quality of television is adequate Potable water is accessible round-the-clock Agricultural processing workshops are operating Non-governmental associations are operating Access to quality education is safeguarded

8. Medium-Term Projects and Underlying PrioritiesProjects were defined on the basis of solutions derived from the problem

causality analysis. From the alternative solutions were selected the onesthat corresponded to the following criteria: problem solution feasibility,required financial resources, possibility of further operation and mainte-nance. Taking into account the interrelated and complementary nature of theproject and the effectiveness of solving them concurrently, some projectswere merged. Thus, the following projects have been selected:

Paving [7 kilometers of] roads within the Community with asphalt Allocating, renovating, and furnishing a part of the school building for

the kindergarten (for 50 children) Building the church Creating a drugstore Having a stronger television antenna (to be able to receive an addi-

tional 3-4 channels) Renovating the potable water network within the Community (5 kilo-

meters) and the old reservoir (120 tons) Creating a vacuum packaging workshop (with a capacity of 30 kilo-

grams per hour) Renovating the school building, training 10 teachers, and enriching

the stock of didactic materials and books (by 100 pieces) Creating a youth association and publishing a community newspa-

perThe choice of these solutions does not mean that the other solutions will

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be overlooked. Any change of circumstances may bring other solutions tothe forefront and trigger new solutions.

The assessment of projects and the classification of priorities were doneusing the "pair-wise" method.

From the projects identified in this way, priorities were set using the pair-wise method. The projects scored the following number of points:

1. Renovating the potable water network within the Community (5 kilometers) and the old reservoir (120 tons)............................8 points2. Allocating, renovating, and furnishing a part of he school building for the kindergarten (for 50 children) .............7 points3. Building the church ..................................................................5 points4. Creating a vacuum packaging workshop (with a capacity of 30 Kilograms per hour) ..................................4 points5. Creating a youth association and publishing a community newspaper....................................................................................4 points6. Paving [7 kilometers of] roads within theCommunity with asphalt...............................................................3 points7. Creating a drugstore ................................................................2 points8. Renovating the school building, training 10 teachers, and enriching the stock of didactic materials and books (by 100 pieces) ............................................................................2 points9. Having a stronger television antenna (to receive an additional 3-4 channels) .........................................1 point

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9. Project Development

Project Discussions. For the purpose of addressing project implementa-tion issues, monitoring and evaluating them, and identifying potentialsources of funding for projects, each project was discussed in a joint work-shop of the focus groups, to which appropriate specialists were invited, aswell.

Projects were discussed and examined at Marz and national levels forpurposes of compatibility with policies.

As a result of the discussions, medium-term projects were identified (seetables 7 and 8).

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10. Annexes

Annex 1. Methodology

11.. PPllaannnniinngg SStteeppss aanndd PPrriinncciipplleessThe Yervandashat Community Development Plan (CDP) was developed

during May and June, 2006 by a group comprising community residents andUNDP experts. Public participation in the CDP elaboration process hasbeen achieved by means of discussions in general community assemblies(to address general matters pertaining to the CDP) and focus groups (CDPelaboration process).

The Development Plan has been elaborated through the following steps:

1. Preparatory activities;2. Community vision statement;3. Social-economic overview;4. Problem identification and analysis;5. Statement of outputs;6. Medium-term objectives;7. Project development;

11..11 TThhee mmaaiinn pprriinncciipplleess uunnddeerrllyyiinngg tthhee ddeevveellooppmmeenntt ooff tthhee CCoommmmuunniittyyDDeevveellooppmmeenntt PPllaann::

Participatory: the Community residents, through a group of represen-tatives formed on voluntary grounds by the General Assembly of theCommunity, participated in the process. This format helped achieve processtransparency and accountability. In addition to the Community residents,stakeholders from outside of the Community participated, as well (includingthe Marz Governor's Office, the Government, international organizations,donors, non-governmental organizations, private sector representatives,and the like).

Compatible: National, regional, and neighboring communities' inter-ests have been factored in.

Complementary: The capacity existing in neighboring communitieshas been taken into account.

Consensus-Based: Differences in opinion have been respected anddecisions taken on the basis of compromise.

Feedback: With a certain sequence order, the activities have beenreflective.

Flexible: Any change of the situation can be added in.

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Sustainable: The general arrangements by which the Plan wasdeveloped and adopted (i.e. its participatory nature and the approval by theCommunity Council and the Community General Assembly) ensure the sus-tainability of the Plan.

22.. PPrreeppaarraattoorryy AAccttiivviittiieessThe Community Development Plan has been elaborated by means of

official talks at two levels (regional and local). To improve consistency andavoid redundancies, introductory meetings were held and understandingsreached with regional officials (Governor, Deputy Governor, RegionalGovernance Department Head, and others) and the community leadership(Village Mayor and Community Council Members). The purpose of UNDP'sCommunity Development Project was presented and specific arrangementswere made for future cooperation.

Participation in the CDP process was achieved by means of communitygeneral assemblies and focus groups.

CCoommmmuunniittyy GGeenneerraall AAsssseemmbbllyy

PPuurrppoossee:: Two general assemblies were convened during the CDPprocess, the first of which was intended to raise awareness, to mobilize, andto build focus groups, while the second was held to discuss and approve thedraft CDP.

MMeetthhoodd ooff CCoonnvveenniinngg:: Community general assemblies were convenedusing a list of names of residents extracted in advance from the Register ofCommunity Households. All the families in the Community received invita-tions to participate in the general assembly one week in advance of its date.

FFooccuuss GGrroouuppss

PPuurrppoossee:: To identify, analyze, and proposal solutions to the problems ofcertain groups, including socially vulnerable groups of the population.

PPrriinncciipplleess ooff FFoorrmmaattiioonn:: The desire of participants to be involved, the sizeof the group (smaller groups are more efficient), and the diversity of the group(in professional, and age-gender terms) were taken into consideration.

MMeetthhoodd ooff FFoorrmmaattiioonn:: The following focus groups were formed in the firstGeneral Assembly of the Community by means of voluntary nomination andself-nomination:

1. Group of intellectuals (5 members);2. Group of entrepreneurs (5 members);

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3. Group of young people (9 members);4. Social group (representatives of households in which there are dis-

abled persons, multiple children, or female heads) (9 members); and5. Community leadership (Village Mayor, Community Council

Members, Village Municipality Staff) (7 members).

Each group chose its moderator, who then organized the activities of thegroup (for lists of focus group members, see Annex 2).

33.. CCoommmmuunniittyy VViissiioonn SSttaatteemmeennttThe community vision - as a "light" spotted in the distance - guides the

development of the community, and each community institution, with itsfunctions in the context of its authority and mission, incrementally makes itcloser.

The community vision setting process was carried out by means of acommunity-wide contest and focus groups.

CCoonntteessttA community-wide contest for essays on the topic "My Vision for

Development of Yervandashat" was organized and conducted. Instructionson how to take part in the contest were developed and disseminated withinthe community, which stated the main assignment (i.e. to present their visionfor the community, values, issues, their causes, consequences, and solu-tions) and the terms of participation. While essays were being prepared,community development experts conducted an open lesson for active com-munity residents and students of 8th-10th grades on the topic of "IntegratedCommunity Development: Issues and Perspectives." Community develop-ment experts evaluated the papers using tailor-made criteria. The authors ofthe best papers received prizes.

FFooccuuss GGrroouuppssThe vision, ideals, and aspirations of each group were presented.

Parallel to the evaluation of essays, community vision statements weredrawn up and combined with the vision proposed in the focus groups, as aresult of which the common vision for the community was defined.

44.. SSoocciioo-EEccoonnoommiicc SSiittuuaattiioonn AAnnaallyyssiiss The social-economic situation in the Community was analyzed by meth-

ods such as data surveys and focus group discussions. Surveys and analysis of available information.

Information on the Community was collected from different organizations

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(the Village Municipality, the Marz Governor's Office, the Government, inter-national organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the like). The2006 Development Plan of the Marz, as well as the last several years' com-munity budgets and other community-related plans were studied.

FFooccuuss ggrroouuppssThe Community's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

were identified in focus groups. This analysis then served as a basis foridentifying the issues faced by the Community and proposing solutions.

55.. PPrroobblleemm IIddeennttiiffyyiinngg aanndd AAnnaallyyssiissThe problems were analyzed in the following stages:I. Problem identification and mapping;II. Problem assessment; andIII. Analysis of urgent problems using a causality scheme.

I. Problem Identification and Mapping: the focus groups identified all theproblems that the participants deemed related to community development.The identified problems were then grouped according to the competentauthorities.

II. Problem Assessment: the focus groups determined the most seriousproblems that need to be solved in order to start a process of fundamentalcommunity development. The problems assessment was performed usinga so-called "Problem Acuteness and Trend" method.

The "Problem Acuteness and Trend" Method. Each participant receivedsheets containing a list of all the problems (one problem per sheet). Theparticipants were then asked to assess the problems as "Very Acute,""Acute," and "Less acute" by jointly choosing assessment criteria inadvance, including:

The number of people affected by the problem; The impact of consequences; and The incidence of the problem.

Each participant marked his or her assessment ("Very Acute," "Acute," or"Less acute") of each problem on the back side of each sheet. Then, theparticipants were asked to sort the problems by the trends observed duringthe last two-years ("Worsens," "Remains unchanged," or "Improves"), afterwhich all the participants' sheets were placed in boxes, and each problemwas assessed using the ratios specified in Table 1:

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66.. MMeeddiiuumm-TTeerrmm PPrroojjeeccttss aanndd UUnnddeerrllyyiinngg PPrriioorriittiieessPriority-Setting. The assessment of objectives and the classification of

priorities were done using the "pair-wise" method, for which medium-termfeasibility (access to financial, human, material, and other resources) wastaken as a benchmark.

The Pair-Wise Method. The examined problems were filled out in verti-cal and horizontal lines of a matrix (see Table 2), after which each problemstated in a vertical line was compared with all the problems mentioned in thehorizontal lines. The top priority identified as a result of this comparison waswritten in the box where the lines cross. After all the boxes were filled in thisway, the incidence of each problem was calculated, and the problems wereclassified in the order of incidence. According to this classification, prioritieswere set.

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Annex 2. Participants of Planning Process Name and surname

From Yervandashat Community Occupation/position/social status

Youth focus group 1. Hayk Khachikyan (moderator) Student 2. Hakob Petrosyan Farmer 3. Meline Khachikyan Teacher 4. Harutyun Harutyunyan Farmer 5. Hovhannes Shahinyan Farmer 6. Rita Pijoyan Farmer 7. Argam Ghazaryan Post office manager 8. Armenuhi Sargsyan Schoolgirl 9. Shushan Avoyan Schoolgirl

Focus group of intellectuals 1. Mariam Hovhannisyan (moderator) School principal 2. Artur Garumov Physician 3. Ruzanna Hakobyan Librarian 4. Samvel Khachikyan Teacher 5. Lusine Gasparyan Teacher

Social focus group 1. Alvard Khachuntz (moderator) Disabled 2. Jora Vardanyan Retired 3. Hrant Abrahamyan Retired 4. Ruben Sargsyan Retired 5. Ruzanna Arakelyan Mother of multiple children 6. Aida Sarukhanyan Mother of multiple children 7. Rita Harutyunyan Single mother 8. Zarik Tamoyan Ethnic minority representative 9. Abgar Hovhannisyan Teacher

Focus group of entrepreneurs 1. Gagik Atoyan (moderator) Farmer 2. Armen Sargsyan Veterinarian 3. Volodya Khachikyan Sole entrepreneur 4. Yeghishe Abrahamyan Cheese producer 5. Aragats Khachikyan Farmer 6. Levon Harutyunyan Farmer 7. Varujan Avetisyan Farmer 8. Samvel Khachikyan Teacher 9. Armen Ghazaryan Farmer

Community leadership (Village Mayor, staff, and Council) focus group

1. Hovnan Avetissyan (moderator) Community Mayor 2. Yurik Aprikyan Community Council Member 3. Armen Sargsyan Community Council Member 4. Zaven Gevorgyan Community Council Member 5. Armen Ghazaryan Community Council Member 6. Sanasar Harutyunyan Municipality Secretary 7. Shahen Muradyan Municipality Accountant

Experts Vrej Jijyan UNDP Community Development Program Coordinator Susanna Bagratuni UNDP Performance Budgeting Program Coordinator Hripsime Manukyan UNDP Community Development Program Expert Paruir Asatryan UNDP Community Development Program Expert Vahan Movsisyan UNDP Performance Budgeting Program Expert

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Annex 3. Demographic Data

(As of January 1, 2006) 1. Number of households 204 2. Total population 748 2.1. Of which: Male 370 2.2. Female 378 3. Minor population 317 4. Adult population 431 4.1. Of which: able to work 373 5. Pensioners 58 6. Single mothers 7 7. Families receiving allowances 32 8. Families with multiple children 75 9. Households residing in temporary dwellings 10

Annex 4. Non-Agricultural Occupation (Quantity)

1 Industrial and food shops 2 2 Fuel and lubricant sale points 1 3 Fodder mills 1 4 Processing workshops 2

Annex 5. Agricultural Land Plots

(As of January 1, 2006) Hectares Of which,

currently used, in hectares

Total agricultural land 993.8 973 Arable land 245.8 225 Perennial plants 95 95 Grassland 16 16 Pastures 637 637

Annex 6. Structure of Land under Main Crops

2005 Hectares %

Wheat 30 13.3 Barley 1 0.4 Vegetables 27 12.0 Potato 2 0.9 Fodder crops 139 61.8 Melons and gourds 18 8.0 Other crops 8 3.6

Total 225 100

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Annex 7. Gross Output and Yields, Main Crops

2005 Grains

Gross output, tons 90 Yield, tons per hectare 3.0

Potato Gross output, tons 160

Yield, tons per hectare 16 Vegetables

Gross output, tons 540 Yield, tons per hectare 20

Fruit Gross output, tons 940

Yield, tons per hectare 10 Grapes

Gross output, tons 40 Yield, tons per hectare 10

Melons and gourds Gross output, tons 450

Yield, tons per hectare 20 Fodder crops

Gross output, tons 903 Yield, tons per hectare 6.5

Annex 8. Livestock

(Heads) As of January 1, 2006

Cattle 451 Of which, cows 178 Pigs 65 Sheep and goats 1,510 Poultry 2,006 Of which, hens 1,415

Annex 9. Livestock, Output and Yields

2005 Meat sales, tons 45 Milk output, tons 402 Wool output, tons 2.3 Egg output (thousand) 225 Milk per cow, kilograms 1,500 Wool per sheep, kilograms 2.0 Eggs per hen 150

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approved in general assembly of - un community_eng.pdf · by tigran b the great. yervandashat,...

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