Posted on Jun\u00a021,\u00a02013<\/h4>\n\n<\/p>\nBy Kieran Cooke, Climate News Network<\/b><\/p>\n
This piece first appeared at Climate News Network<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\nTHE ARARAT VALLEY, ARMENIA\u2013It happened as Tigran Gasparian and his family were having lunch. A massive black cloud turned day to night in minutes. Then the hail hammered on the roof.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was deafening\u201d, says Tigran. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen anything like it. The winds swirled around \u2014 like a tornado. It went on for 45 minutes. At the end the hail was falling in big pieces like bits of broken glass. We knew all our crops had been destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Farmers here have heard talk of climate change: many say the summers \u2014 when temperatures can reach near to 40C \u2014 are becoming hotter while winters are getting colder.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe the climate is changing\u201d says Anoosh, Gasparian\u2019s wife. \u201cOr maybe the hail was sent by God as punishment for the way our country is chopping down its forests and destroying its landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n
Armenia, a small country in the South Caucasus region with a population of a little over three million, is highly dependent on its agriculture and is famous for its fruits and herbs. Agriculture accounts for about 20% of gross domestic product.<\/p>\n
Cut to shreds<\/b><\/p>\n
Most of the country\u2019s 340,000 farms are relatively small with plots of one hectare or less: there is little spare cash to fall back on when crops fail.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur apricots, peaches, watermelons, and tomatoes were cut to shreds \u201d says Tigran. \u201cUsually we\u2019d harvest about 35 tonnes of grapes \u2014 this year we\u2019ll be lucky if we have 50 kilos.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Gasparian land is in the Ararat Valley, about an hour and a half\u2019s drive from Yerevan, Armenia\u2019s capital. Sitting under the shade of cherry trees \u2014 a cuckoo calling in the distance and the snow capped peak of Mount Ararat in Turkey on the horizon \u2014 it is, in many ways, a perfect pastoral scene.<\/p>\n
But life here is tough. Produce has to be taken along badly potholed roads to the capital. Armenia, till 1991, was part of the old Soviet Union. For many farmers, adjusting to a market economy has not been easy. Many are leaving the land: both the Gasparian\u2019s sons \u2014 now in their twenties \u2014 are going soon to jobs in Russia.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith our crops destroyed, there is nothing for us here\u201d says one.\n<\/p>\n
Changing weather<\/b><\/p>\n
There are often hailstorms in Armenia and throughout the rugged and mountainous Caucasus region but the ferocity of this one \u2014 happening in mid May when crops were just coming to life \u2014 was highly unusual.<\/p>\n
Armenia is a mountainous country with a generally arid climate and is judged to be particularly vulnerable to changes in climate. Zaruhi Petrosyan is a meteorologist at Armenia\u2019s Ministry of Emergency Situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually hailstorms last for only five or seven minutes\u201d she says. \u201cThis was a very strange meteorological phenomenon. There are changing weather patterns in some regions but just how significant these are is difficult to estimate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs Petrosyan says while calculations are changing all the time, Armenia is likely to see temperatures rise by between one and four degrees centigrade by century\u2019s end though average rainfall is likely to drop by six per cent.<\/p>\n
But international bodies predict a far greater degree of change.<\/p>\n
A report in 2009 by the Stockholm Environment Institute together with the United Nations Development Programme talked of \u201cenormous\u201d changes in Armenia\u2019s climate over the next century, with likely increases in temperatures of 4.5 C in the lowlands and 7C in the highlands by 2100.<\/p>\n
Water supplies \u2014 already a serious problem in many areas \u2014 are likely to come under increased strain as rainfall decreases, said the report, causing agricultural production to fall by nearly 10%.<\/p>\n
Money to Survive<\/b><\/p>\n
Vardan Hambardzumyan is president of the Armenian Federation of Agricultural Associations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are fully aware how climate change will affect agriculture\u201d he says. \u201cWe have to safeguard our water and land resources: we have to protect our forests. Armenia plays a very small role in the problem of climate change \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t mean we should be ignorant of its impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hambardzumyan says there\u2019s a need to develop new seeds to resist rising temperatures and to use cattle better able to withstand the heat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also need innovative technology \u2014 and help from international organisations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the farmers in the Ararat Valley who lost their crops due to the freak hailstorm are insisting that the government gives them financial support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t live in luxury\u201d says one farmer. \u201cAll we\u2019re asking for is money to survive through the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another farmer points to one of his prize cherry trees: \u201cUsually I\u2019d get a hundred kilos from this tree. My cherries were famous. People would queue up for them. This year I\u2019ll maybe get a couple of buckets. The rest go to the pigs \u2014 and even they are fed up and don\u2019t eat them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.truthdig.com\/images\/eartothegrounduploads\/4295758353_21b13537b8.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
By Kieran Cooke, Climate News Network<\/b><\/p>\n
This piece first appeared at Climate News Network<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n THE ARARAT VALLEY, ARMENIA\u2013It happened as Tigran Gasparian and his family were having lunch. A massive black cloud turned day to night in minutes. Then the hail hammered on the roof.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was deafening\u201d, says Tigran. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen anything like it. The winds swirled around \u2014 like a tornado. It went on for 45 minutes. At the end the hail was falling in big pieces like bits of broken glass. We knew all our crops had been destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n Farmers here have heard talk of climate change: many say the summers \u2014 when temperatures can reach near to 40C \u2014 are becoming hotter while winters are getting colder.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe the climate is changing\u201d says Anoosh, Gasparian\u2019s wife. \u201cOr maybe the hail was sent by God as punishment for the way our country is chopping down its forests and destroying its landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n Armenia, a small country in the South Caucasus region with a population of a little over three million, is highly dependent on its agriculture and is famous for its fruits and herbs. Agriculture accounts for about 20% of gross domestic product.<\/p>\n Cut to shreds<\/b><\/p>\n Most of the country\u2019s 340,000 farms are relatively small with plots of one hectare or less: there is little spare cash to fall back on when crops fail.<\/p>\n \u201cOur apricots, peaches, watermelons, and tomatoes were cut to shreds \u201d says Tigran. \u201cUsually we\u2019d harvest about 35 tonnes of grapes \u2014 this year we\u2019ll be lucky if we have 50 kilos.\u201d<\/p>\n The Gasparian land is in the Ararat Valley, about an hour and a half\u2019s drive from Yerevan, Armenia\u2019s capital. Sitting under the shade of cherry trees \u2014 a cuckoo calling in the distance and the snow capped peak of Mount Ararat in Turkey on the horizon \u2014 it is, in many ways, a perfect pastoral scene.<\/p>\n But life here is tough. Produce has to be taken along badly potholed roads to the capital. Armenia, till 1991, was part of the old Soviet Union. For many farmers, adjusting to a market economy has not been easy. Many are leaving the land: both the Gasparian\u2019s sons \u2014 now in their twenties \u2014 are going soon to jobs in Russia.<\/p>\n \u201cWith our crops destroyed, there is nothing for us here\u201d says one.\n<\/p>\n Changing weather<\/b><\/p>\n There are often hailstorms in Armenia and throughout the rugged and mountainous Caucasus region but the ferocity of this one \u2014 happening in mid May when crops were just coming to life \u2014 was highly unusual.<\/p>\n Armenia is a mountainous country with a generally arid climate and is judged to be particularly vulnerable to changes in climate. Zaruhi Petrosyan is a meteorologist at Armenia\u2019s Ministry of Emergency Situations.<\/p>\n \u201cUsually hailstorms last for only five or seven minutes\u201d she says. \u201cThis was a very strange meteorological phenomenon. There are changing weather patterns in some regions but just how significant these are is difficult to estimate.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrs Petrosyan says while calculations are changing all the time, Armenia is likely to see temperatures rise by between one and four degrees centigrade by century\u2019s end though average rainfall is likely to drop by six per cent.<\/p>\n But international bodies predict a far greater degree of change.<\/p>\n A report in 2009 by the Stockholm Environment Institute together with the United Nations Development Programme talked of \u201cenormous\u201d changes in Armenia\u2019s climate over the next century, with likely increases in temperatures of 4.5 C in the lowlands and 7C in the highlands by 2100.<\/p>\n Water supplies \u2014 already a serious problem in many areas \u2014 are likely to come under increased strain as rainfall decreases, said the report, causing agricultural production to fall by nearly 10%.<\/p>\n Money to Survive<\/b><\/p>\n Vardan Hambardzumyan is president of the Armenian Federation of Agricultural Associations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are fully aware how climate change will affect agriculture\u201d he says. \u201cWe have to safeguard our water and land resources: we have to protect our forests. Armenia plays a very small role in the problem of climate change \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t mean we should be ignorant of its impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n Hambardzumyan says there\u2019s a need to develop new seeds to resist rising temperatures and to use cattle better able to withstand the heat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also need innovative technology \u2014 and help from international organisations.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile the farmers in the Ararat Valley who lost their crops due to the freak hailstorm are insisting that the government gives them financial support.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t live in luxury\u201d says one farmer. \u201cAll we\u2019re asking for is money to survive through the year.\u201d<\/p>\n Another farmer points to one of his prize cherry trees: \u201cUsually I\u2019d get a hundred kilos from this tree. My cherries were famous. People would queue up for them. This year I\u2019ll maybe get a couple of buckets. The rest go to the pigs \u2014 and even they are fed up and don\u2019t eat them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n