ampop.am, Maria Khachatryan
The future of Vayots Dzor is being built from the taste of wine, the smell of cheese, tea made from wild herbs, and stories about the past that come from the depths of rock carvings. But all this, which begins from the heartbeat of the soil and the crystals of water, today stands in front of a real threat.
The backbone of the region's economy is agriculture and tourism. Gladzor polymetallic mine, the gold extraction plant to be built in Zaritap - with the use of cyanide - threaten not only nature, but also people’s lifestyle, the identity of the communities.
The price of wine - a fight against cyanide
The people of Zaritap settlement are against it.
"There already was one public hearing here. They say they will extract using cyanide. That water will come, pour into the Arpa River, from which not only Zaritap but many communities use it for irrigation purposes, including Areni," Gegham Margaryan, Head of Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Vayots Dzor Regional Administration, tells “Ampop Media.”
Residents of Yeghegnadzor consolidated community also speak about the same issue. They clearly imagine - if the mine operates, the wine will no longer sell. Hayk Isakhanyan from Yeghegnadzor is concerned that in case the plant operates, the grapes and wine of Areni will lose their value.
An alternative to prosperity - “living landscape”
In other communities of Vayots Dzor - in Areni, Yelpin, Vernashen - farmers and entrepreneurs also continue to create on their land - wine, cheese, tea, dried fruits, national dishes. Their work is not only to develop the economy; they create organic food, tradition, history, taste and aroma.
“It is thanks to major investments made over 30 years that we have dozens of wine factories, vineyards, whose roots come from the depths of a 6000-year-old history. Mining and winemaking are incompatible,” Isakhanyan noted.
At “Old Bridge” wine factory of Areni, which was founded still in 1998, they started from establishing vineyards - developing the idea of winemaking tourism.
In Yelpin, they produce cheese, ferment with combined flavors, cooperate with winemakers, serve guesthouses. One is the supplier of the other, not the consumer - ensuring the stable development of the economic chain.
Old dish - with a new dream
Areni resident Mariam Simonyan recently made a longtime dream come true - founding “Sheram” national cuisine-restaurant in her village. Here she serves Vayots Dzor’s old traditional dishes - giving them a new breath.
The development of “Sheram” restaurant, as well as the above-mentioned other productions, has also been supported by “Living Landscapes of Armenia for Market Development” (LILA) project, implemented with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Through LILA, connections were created between suppliers, as well as cooperation with tourism agencies. They organized training sessions related to the productions, tasting rooms were built, and furnishing was carried out.
This article was prepared within the framework of the media visit organized by “EcoLur” Informational NGO on May 5-7.
June 10, 2025 at 11:54