October 20, 1995

A $100,000 grant from the Lincy Foundation will enable the Armenian Technology Group (ATG) to distribute $8 million worth of donated seed in Armenia and strengthen its efforts to promote Armenia’s agricultural self-sufficiency.

The Lincy Foundation agreed to provide the funding after ATG received more than half a million pounds of corn and vegetable seeds from the Asgrow Seed Company. (Asgrow’s donation reached Armenia with the help of Brother to Brother International, the Brother’s Brother Foundation, and the United Armenian Fund.)

The Lincy Foundation grant will allow ATG to integrate the donated seed into the organization’s overall strategy for improving the efficiency and productivity of Armenian agriculture. Thanks to the funding, thousands of pounds of seed were distributed to small farmers and urban gardeners for the 1995 growing season. The remaining seed has being stored in a specially prepared warehouse for the coming year.

In addition, the grant will enable ATG to undertake a broad program of technical assistance. ATG’s list of projects in Armenia features renovating and building vegetable greenhouses, replenishing a permanent seed bank, introducing advanced drip irrigation technology, and advising the republic’s new class of private farmers on the packaging and marketing of vegetables.

“Handing out the ‘seeds of hope’ to thousands of individuals was one of the most rewarding experiences that many of us felt during the past several months,” said Varoujan Der Simonian, executive director of ATG. “The timely grant from the Lincy Foundation enabled ATG to be more effective. On behalf of the thousands of families who received the seeds, we thank the Foundation and its board of directors for their generosity,” he added.

Der Simonian further noted that various organizations are participating in the distribution of the seed throughout Armenia and Karabagh. He specifically thanked the Armenian Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Armenian Relief Society/Armenian Red Cross, the Armenian Missionary Association of America, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Armenian agricultural extension specialists for their joint efforts in distributing the seed. “Their cooperation and willingness to extend a hand was just beautiful,” Der Simonian said.

California-based ATG is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to promoting agricultural self-sufficiency in Armenia by assisting private farmers. The seed project is one of several program that ATG has implemented in Armenia in the fields of agriculture and animal/public health since its creation in 1989.

ATG has received grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as well as from the Lincy Foundation.

For more information about how you can help Armenia’s farmers, contact the ATG office at (559) 224-1000 or by e-mail (info@atgusa.org). Tax-deductible donations can be sent to ATG; 1300 E. Shaw, Suite 149; P.O.Box 5969; Fresno, CA 93755-5969.
You may also donate to ATG online.