Armenia is a small, former Soviet country in the South Caucasus, with a rich and ancient cultural heritage. Since independence, agriculture has grown in economic importance, providing 30% of the country's GDP, and more than 40% of total employment. Yet Armenia is highly vulnerable to climate change, and the agriculture sector is already being affected. These changes include increased heat stress, drought, hail storms, unpredictable seasons, and pest and disease pressure.

In January 2020, a research team including Keelin Kelly (DSOC and E&S '20), Allison Chatrchyan (Sr. Research Associate EAS & Global Development), Artak Khachatryan (Hubert Humphrey Fellow '20), and Elena Chatrchyan (IARD '23), spent two weeks in Armenia, working in partnership with UNDP Armenia and the CARD Foundation, to assess farmer's views and actions on climate change for Ms. Kelly's undergraduate honors thesis project. We will provide an overview of our global partnerships, the impacts of climate change on Armenian agriculture, the status of adaptation, and the views of farmers gained through focus group meetings in five centers around the country. This project was supported in part by Engaged Cornell.