This evaluation is presented as part of the Effectiveness Review Series 2013/14, selected for review under the livelihoods thematic area. This report documents the findings of a quasi-experimental evaluation carried out in April 2014 that sought to assess the impact of the activities of the 'new economic opportunities for small scale farmers in Tavush and Vayots Dzor regions' project.

The project was implemented in 19 agriculture-dependent villages in two regions of Armenia, Tavush and Vayots Dzor, by Oxfam GB in Armenia in conjunction with local partners Union of Agricultural Cooperatives, Work and Motherland NGO, Horizon Fund and Scientific Center of Vegetable & Industrial Crops. The overarching objective of the project was to support smallholder farmers to secure sustainable livelihoods through increasing access to economic opportunities in agricultural value chains and increasing their ability to withstand natural disasters related to climate change. Farmers' cooperatives were established in the targeted communities. These cooperatives provided a platform through which most other project activities were implemented at community and household level. Project implementation started in April 2010 and concluded in November 2012. Eight villages, four each in Tavush and Vayots Dzor regions, were targeted in the first year with more added to implementation in subsequent years. The focus of the evaluation was on the impact of the project on participating households in these eight villages, in which implementation had started earliest.

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