CAES Office of Global Programs
Office of International Public Service and Outreach
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

The Office of Global Programs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) and the Office of International Public Service and Outreach coordinated a two-week training program in January 2007 on project monitoring and evaluation for ten representatives of the State Agrarian University of Armenia, non-governmental organizations, Ministry of Agriculture, and foreign donor agencies from Armenia and Georgia at the University of Georgia. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service funded the training project.

The monitoring and evaluation training included formal classroom instruction, one-on-one tutorial sessions, site visits to university centers, and visits to agribusinesses and trade associations.

Dr. Ara Amiryan from the State Agrarian University of Armenia (SAUA) and Ms. Zara Davtyan, food safety specialist from the Center for Agribusiness and Rural Development (CARD), work intensively on their assignment during the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) training at the University of Georgia.		Dr. Richard Rohs helps Dr. Levon Gyulkhasyan, Agricultural Development Specialist, FAS, and Ms Naira Mkrtchyan, Interim Head, Marketing Department, CARD, understand data requirements of M&E.
Dr. Cassie Bryant, Cassandra Drennon & Associates, Inc., works with Mr. Tornike Mgalobishvili, Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Georgia, Dr. Rudick Nazaryan, Professor, State Agrarian University of Armenia (SAUA), and Dianna Kiracosyan, Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Armenia, to understand key concepts of the logical framework model of M&E.		Ms. Vicki McMaken, Office of Global Programs, helps Mr. Areg Gedeonyan, Rural Development specialist, Center for Agribusiness & Rural Development (CARD), understand the goals, objectives, and strategies of M & E for his project, Milk Production & Marketing Capacity of Rural Armenia.
M&E trainees had to discuss their training exercises with trainers and other trainees.		Dr. Richard Rohs, Agricultural Leadership and Extension Specialist, and Rusty Brooks, International Center for Democratic Governance, discuss different approaches to M&E prior to one of their PowerPoint presentations.
Ms. Nestan Tsitishvili, Education Specialist, Georgian Rural Development Program/Georgian Institute of Public Policy, and Ms. Kate Natriashvili, Program Coordinator, Georgian Rural Development Program/Georgian Institute of Public Policy, work together on their M&E project assignment on changing agricultural education in Georgia.		Dr. Levan Gyulkhasyan, Agricultural Specialist, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service/Caucasus Agribusiness Development Initiative, discusses the quality of pruning equipment at the Winter Green Trade Show in Athens. The Winter Green show combines private nursery exhibitor activities with certification training by University of Georgia extension specialists.
Ms. Diana Kirakosyan, Senior Specialist, Plant Origin and Raw Food, Food Safety Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Armenia, discuses propagation of heritage plants with Mr. Rick Berry, Co-owner of Goodness Grows Nursery in Lexington, Ga. at the Winter Green Trade Show.		Ms. Diana Kirakosyan, Food Safety Division, Ministry of Agriculture, admires the exhibitor's displays at the Winter Green Trade Show in Athens, Ga.
After the Winter Green Trade Show, the delegation enjoyed a casual lunch at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and a presentation by Dr. Jim Affholter about the Garden's mission and activities.		Ms. Cassie Bryant, Cassandra Drennon & Associates, Inc., leads the trainees in M&E small group projects and assignments.
Dr. Rudick Nazaryan, a plant breeder at SAUA, examines the technology for plant propagation at James Greenhouses in Crawford, Ga.		The Armenian and Georgian M&E trainees prepare to learn about modern dairy practices at Green Acres Farm in Maxeys, Ga. They discussed the monitoring and evaluation of an innovative dairy operation at Mr. Henry Caberniss' dairy farm.
The Armenian and Georgian trainees concluded their two-week training with individual project presentations on utilizing the logical framework for M&E. Ms. Zara Davtyan, Food Safety Specialist, CARD, discusses the application of M&E in her food safety project.		The Armenian and Georgian trainees pose with UGA Faculty and Dr. Fred Johnston, Development Resources Specialist, International Cooperation and Development, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA, at the conclusion of the M&E training.