Fruit Orchards Established for Low-Income Families in Lankaran, Beylagan, and Sabirabad

On November 23 in Lankaran and on November 24 in Beylagan and Sabirabad districts, fruit orchards were established for low-income families through a joint initiative by the IDEA Public Union, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Heydar Aliyev Foundation’s "Regional Development" Public Union, and the "Cavan" Youth Movement Public Union.

During the tree-planting actions, 1,250 feijoa trees were planted on 2 hectares in Lankaran, 1,000 apricot trees on 2 hectares in Beylagan, and 1,000 pomegranate trees on 2 hectares in Sabirabad. These orchards are distributed among low-income families living in the aforementioned districts, including the disabled and families of martyrs of the Karabakh war, and are provided for their use free of charge. These families have the opportunity to care for the orchards, harvest the produce, earn an income, and improve their material well-being.

The pilot project for planting fruit trees was initiated in April 2017 by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, and Goodwill Ambassador of the FAO. Within the framework of the project, the first fruit orchard was established in Ismayilli, and subsequently in Shamkir, Agstafa, Tovuz, Agdash, and Gakh districts, and provided free of charge to low-income families, including veterans of the Karabakh war and families of martyrs.

The socio-economic significance of the project is that, in addition to improving the well-being of the population, establishing such orchards will also contribute to reducing the country's dependence on the import of agricultural products.

As part of the project, nearly 10,000 fruit trees, including varieties such as hazelnut, pomegranate, apricot, feijoa, and persimmon, have been planted across 9 districts, and 31 low-income families have been provided with orchards. In the future, the establishment of orchards for low-income families will also be organized in other districts of the country.

It should be noted that nearly 2,000 local young people voluntarily participated in the tree-planting campaigns organized in the districts. IDEA expresses gratitude to all the volunteers and organizations that supported the event, demonstrating concern for the environment.