Gohar Movsisyan’s persistence and the rural routine that became a business

Gohar Movsisyan, a biology teacher and resident of Teghenik village in Armenia’s Kotayk region, has established an organic agricultural enterprise known as Bari Farm. Movsisyan, who has worked in education for over 35 years, founded the farm in 2017 to combine her professional background with her lifelong connection to the land.

Bari Farm produces a variety of organic goods, including spelt, plums, apricots, walnuts, and mushrooms. The enterprise also operates a small processing facility, established with support from AgriConcept, which produces dried fruits and cider. Movsisyan has integrated sustainable practices into her operations, such as the use of drip irrigation, anti-hail netting, and organic fertilizers like humus and compost. She also emphasizes a circular approach to production, repurposing agricultural byproducts such as cherry pits for use in heating pads.

Movsisyan’s journey has included significant challenges, including a 2017 hailstorm that destroyed her entire spelt crop and early difficulties with frost damage in her orchards. Despite these setbacks, she has expanded the farm’s offerings to include unconventional crops such as kale, lavender, and oregano. She attributes the success of the farm to the support of her family and her own persistence.

Beyond cultivation, Bari Farm serves as a site for educational outreach. Movsisyan collaborates with the National Agrarian University of Armenia to host student internships and works with various organizations to promote organic agriculture and healthy eating. Products from the farm are primarily sold online and through direct visits to the site.

This report was produced as part of the Lifelong Education and Advancement Program for Women, a project funded by the Arab Gulf Programme for Development and implemented by the United Nations Population Fund.

Article and image source: mediamax.am