Lusine Tadevosyan (ELP 2024) | Chief of Party/Program Manager, International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education (ICARE), Armenia
It was back in 2017 when I first came to Berkeley to participate at a conference and present the research results from one of our projects at ICARE foundation. Every morning on the way to the conference, I walked and silently dreamed of studying at a university like the University of California, Berkeley. The wide-ranging campus, with its grand libraries and vibrant student life, felt like a world of endless possibilities. I remember walking by the campus and watching the students hustle between classes. I imagined myself among them, diving deep into the subjects I loved, engaging in intellectual debates, and making lifelong friends.
Years passed. I was busy working with farmers and students to build a sustainable future for Armenian food systems. Over the years, I have trained and worked with more than 1000 farmers from all regions of Armenia and taught more than 220 students on environmental sustainability in agriculture and food production systems. My professional journey was full of challenges and unexpected changes, but taught me valuable lessons to adapt and think creatively to solve problems.
Agriculture is one of the leading economic sectors in Armenia with 12% of GDP and 24.3% of employment. Also, agriculture contributes approximately 18.5% of greenhouse gas emissions while being affected by climate change itself (EV Consulting and ICARE Foundation. 29 July 2021. Mitigation Potential of Agriculture Sector in Armenia, Page 10.)
Current agricultural practices cause multiple environmental issues, such as unsustainable resource use and environmental pollution and degradation. This includes pollution and eutrophication of aquatic environments; degradation of soil quality and erosion; air pollution; and loss of biodiversity and forests. In the context of environmental and climate sustainability, Armenia lacks both current and state-of-the-art knowledge on the “climate change-environmental sustainability-agriculture” nexus and practical, innovative agricultural and food production methods. All of this can decrease negative environmental consequences of food production.
Although over the years I have successfully managed the business and environmental aspects of my program and teaching responsibilities, the scope of my work has continually increased, and current scientific information on the “climate change-environmental sustainability-agriculture” nexus is dynamically progressing. Embracing the mindset of “never give up,” I sought to deepen my technical knowledge and enhance my soft skills, leading me to search for a suitable course.
The “big dream” came true. I was accepted to be part of the 2024 Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) hosted by Rausser College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley. The dream I once had while walking through this campus has become my reality. The familiar sights bring back a wave of nostalgia, but everything feels different now. The paths I once walked as a visitor are now the routes to my lectures and study sessions.
Through these experiences, I relived my memories and gained fundamental knowledge and soft skills in negotiation, communication, conflict resolution, and collaborative leadership. During the course, these skills empowered me to tackle complex project management and leadership challenges; make informed decisions; contribute positively to my organization and team; and work confidently with different stakeholder groups while promoting environmentally friendly and climate-smart practices in Armenia.
One particularly memorable session touched my heart deeply - one of my lecturers said, “Believe in yourself.” It was a simple statement, but it resonated deeply with me. I started reflecting on the areas of my life where a lack of self-confidence had held me back and began to consider how embracing self-belief could open new doors and opportunities. This encouragement renewed my confidence to pursue my goals and face challenges with a more positive mindset. Now I am going back full of energy, motivation, and commitment to work for Armenia's bright future!
[The blog post image was published on Wikipedia Commons. Original image by Tristan Harward. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic.]