Institutional Description
The Center for Agribusiness and Rural Development (CARD) is an Armenian Foundation founded in 2005 as a successor of USDA’s Marketing Assistance Program (USDA-MAP).
CARD’s mission is to assist farmers and agribusinesses in the production and marketing of food and related products to increase incomes and create jobs leading to sustainable livelihoods for rural populations and thus to contribute to poverty reduction.
CARD designs and implements its development assistance programs that are successfully addressing such priority needs of sustainable growth as a) promoting application of advanced agricultural technologies; b) supporting agricultural processing and the development of competitive food products for domestic and export markets; c) improving food safety and food security at the production, processing and service level; d) promoting animal genetics, improvement of animal health and husbandry practices; e) promoting agricultural machinery and equipment; f) supporting to establish new policies and regulation at government level.

CARD is committed to developing local rural capacity and promoting Armenian agro-products in the marketplace. Today, the pool of CARD supported clients contributes a significant share in agricultural industry of Armenia.
A key to CARD’s success is a team of highly qualified local professional staff and ongoing technical assistance of western consultants. CARD staff has been carrying out impact oriented projects for more than a decade and acquired best practices within the industry, which is applied in the Armenian agricultural sector. Over the years, many American Land Grant Universities, PUM experts and private sector specialists from different industry sectors teamed with Armenian experts to contribute technical and advisory assistance to both CARD and CARD clients’ capacity development.
CARD Foundation is a non-profit organization. It has two affiliate organizations:

1) Affiliate 1: CARD AgroServices is a for profit organization that provides agricultural services and products to farmers and agribusiness in Armenia
2) Affiliate 2: CARD AgroCredit is a Universal Credit Organization registered and licensed with the Central Bank of Armenia to provide agricultural and agribusiness financial services in Armenia; and

All two together is a “One-Stop-Shop” concept which was successfully introduced.

WORKING AREAS
SME Development Program for Strategic Rural Areas

• Encourages and assists Agribusinesses in rural areas

Development of Market Infrastructure in Rural Communities

• Develops cold chain network
• Improves post-harvest handling and packaging of fruits and vegetables
• Regional marketplace development- wholesale and roadside markets
• Organizes regional agricultural fairs and international exhibitions

Improving Agricultural Efficiency and Increasing Production

• Supports animal and plant sectors at the farm level to improve the quality of products for further processing and marketing
• Introduces farming equipment, new crop varieties, and high genetic quality livestock to improve quality of production
• Improves veterinary and the health management systems in rural areas
• Improves milk quality

Marketing Research

• Conducts market research and generates market-intelligence reports and commodity sector analysis on the Armenian domestic and foreign food sectors
• Designs business and marketing plans for agribusinesses.
• Organizes and implements advertising and promotional campaigns for agribusinesses locally and abroad

Product Development

• New product design and development
• Product line diversification and expansion of existing products based on market demand and available technologies

Food Quality Control and Assurance

• Designs and Implements of effective Food Safety Intervention Programs to improve food handling, processing, and public health
• Implements Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), HACCP, and other Quality Management Assurance Techniques in the meat, dairy, fruit, and vegetable processing sectors
• Establishes or enhances new food testing laboratories in processing plants

Product Promotion and Market Development

• Develops Promotional Materials: using mixed media, such as Internet, Armenian Food Product Catalogue, company profiles and product data sheets, links exporters and buyers worldwide
• Supports local agribusinesses to participate in International Exhibitions, Food Fairs, and other events