Life in rural areas has its beauties and hardships. Yet, Qyaram Khachatryan said he would never want to exchange his village life in northern Armenia for living in a city, even after he lost virtually everything in the devastating earthquake of 1988. Lost everything but his good spirit and hope, that is. Thankfully, these are two essential tools for the current crisis as well.

“It is of course a hard time for everyone,” said Qyaram. “Still, I think we are fortunate that our family was an FAO pilot project beneficiary.”

This smallholder farmer, father of four, lives in the tiny house of his mother, works hard in the garden and on the fields and takes seasonal jobs to make ends meet for his seven-member family.

Their circumstances changed for the better some two years ago, when Qyaram’s mother, along with 132 other families who are covered by the government’s social protection programme, received agricultural support and materials through a Cash+ pilot of an FAO project, funded by the Russian Federation.

The social protection benefits they are entitled to only cover the family’s immediate needs. However, the Cash+ pilot goes beyond just financial support, providing families with inputs to help them tap into the agricultural potential of the land.