Women: The Driving Force in Agriculture

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For Anahit Sargsyan, who works half of each year, the season begins in May when Armenia’s first fruits ripen. This is when women’s work groups start harvesting and sorting fruits in various regions.

“At seven in the morning, my husband drives me to the Etchmiadzin-Armavir highway. A bus is already waiting for us there,” explains 52-year-old Sargsyan. “Women come from different parts of Etchmiadzin and surrounding villages, and together we head to the orchards that are ready for harvest.”

A mother of two, Sargsyan has been doing this work for five years. The income she earns through fruit sorting has helped her resolve many of her family’s financial challenges. Without this job, they might have lost their home. Her earnings have enabled them to repay the house loan.

“For women our age, it’s difficult to find a job. Even for the simplest store jobs, they prefer younger people. But here, there are no age limits; the only requirement is the willingness to work and take responsibility,” says Sargsyan.

She is one of the 80 women working in Lilit Sahakyan’s group. Sahakyan recruits these women and collaborates with individual exporters who transport harvested fruits to the Russian Federation in refrigerated trucks within days. The exporters select the orchards and manage payments for the workers.

“The exporters inspect the product, decide to buy it, and only then do we enter the orchard to sort the fruits into crates,” explains Sahakyan, who has over a decade of experience in this field. “If the fruit isn’t exported, we don’t have work.”

Now a group leader, Sahakyan once sought work herself when she decided to sort apricots. Although her husband was employed, her two sons were still young, and the financial burden was heavy.

“After three or four years, my foreman asked, ‘Can you find other women who want to work and bring them with you?’ I was resourceful, and about 15 women joined our group through my efforts,” she recalls. Many women in her community were seeking work, so she quickly assembled her own group. “I started with 15, and now I have 80 workers.”

The work moves with the fruit harvests across regions, beginning with cherries and continuing through apricots, plums, peaches, apples, and grapes. Each day starts at seven in the morning and ends at six in the evening. Workers now earn 7,000 AMD per day—an increase from 5,000 AMD two years ago. For these women, the busy season extends through November, with apple sorting even providing work into the winter.

Narine Petoyan, from the village of Jrashen in the Ararat region, owns a 6,000-square-meter apricot orchard. This year, she managed her apricot sales alone while her husband worked abroad. 

She explains that the harvest price fluctuates based on the ruble’s exchange rate.

“At the beginning of the year, they were paying 800 AMD per kilogram, but it dropped to 100 AMD,” she says. “We’re suffering greatly. Many Jrashen residents are selling their orchards as a result.”

Petoyan notes that finding pickers is challenging, as it is a more complex job than sorting. This year, Indians primarily did the picking, earning 10,000 AMD per day. However, she typically employs workers from nearby villages and various regions to tend her orchard.

“This is an opportunity for everyone to earn money and solve many household issues,” Petoyan explains. “The work requires speed and flexibility to prevent the fruit from spoiling.”

Being “Young and Beautiful” Is Not a Requirement

“Today, women aged 35, 40, or 50 can’t find work because stores prefer younger, more attractive workers. What are these women supposed to do? They have to live, don’t they?” says 43-year-old Sahakyan. She notes that in the Armavir region, there are 25-30 similar work groups, consisting of women aged 30 to 70.

When hiring, Sahakyan considers the women’s work ethic and health. Each day, they must be able to sort at least 30-40 crates of fruit.

“They sit for hours sorting. Their legs get tired, but their hands keep working non-stop. These women come from different families, each with their own worries and problems. My job is to make sure they stay focused and responsible for their work. We work in different locations, and many of the women have blood pressure issues. I always carry first aid medicines with me in case someone’s blood pressure rises. Did they eat, drink coffee, and take their medications? Are they sorting properly? I’m always by their side because I’m responsible for each of them,” says Sahakyan, adding that despite the work’s difficulties, many women still seek employment and reach out to her.

Nona Saghatelian, who has been harvesting fruit for several years, says this job has been a lifeline for many women. They’ve managed to pay off loans, debt, support their children, and help their families out of difficult economic situations.

“These are women of different ages and different educational backgrounds, many with secondary education. Where can they earn this much?” asks Saghatelian. She adds that the alternative is working in a store, where the daily wage is much lower, around 2,500-3,000 AMD. “That’s why women prefer agricultural work, even though it’s very demanding.”

Unlike the fruit sorters, 39-year-old Naira Piliposyan has preferred working in the fields for a decade—picking vegetables, planting seedlings in early spring, and weeding. For her, moving around in the field, even with a bent back, is preferable than staying home and dealing with endless problems. 

“When my children were small, I left them in the care of their grandmother and went to work in the village, even though I live in Etchmiadzin,” explains Piliposyan. “When the burdens seem never-ending and money is scarce, you can do any kind of work. It’s physically hard, but then again what job is easy?”

Piliposyan, along with a group of women, begins her day early, entering vegetable-laden fields. Dressed in light-colored clothes and wearing gloves, hats, or headscarves, the women work hunched over, picking vegetables from five in the morning until noon. They earn a daily wage of 6,000 AMD, with the option to continue working after noon for 1,000 AMD per hour. The employer values the women’s hard work under the scorching sun of the Ararat valley.

“We’re a team of four. Two of us pick, and the other two arrange the vegetables in crates or sacks,” says Piliposyan. “For me, picking eggplants is the hardest—the leaves are full of thorns that prick you. I’m allergic to them. It’s also hard to pick peppers and tomatoes.” She notes that harvesting watermelons is the most challenging task for women, as some weigh over ten kilograms.

However, this work has its nuances. Properly arranging the eggplants is crucial, a skill Piliposyan has honed: “We leave the ‘pretty’ eggplants on the top and sides of the sack so the buyer sees the beautiful ones.” 

Besides the physically demanding work, women also have to keep an eye on their children. Many end up bringing their young children to the fields.

“They leave the children in the shade and head into the field. They manage to feed them and put them to sleep in the meantime.  What can they do? They have no other choice. I was lucky sometimes because my aunt would look after my child, but many don’t have anyone to help,” says Piliposyan, who finds work in the winter as well. She binds herbs, tying 200 bundles of cilantro each day. However, unlike working directly in the field, the pay for this job is lower—4,000 AMD for nine hours of work.

Despite the heavy workload, fluctuating prices, and challenges, women are the driving force in Armenia’s agricultural sector. They play a crucial role not only in their families’ well-being but also in the country’s agricultural growth and sustainability. According to a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, about 34.8% of those employed in Armenia work in agriculture, of which around 56% are women. Data from Armenia’s Statistical Committee shows that 24.6% of all employed women in Armenia are engaged in agriculture, compared to 20.3% for men. 

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that data from Armenia’s Statistical Committee shows women make up 24.6% of the workforce in the “Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing” sector, compared to 20.3% for men. It has now been corrected to reflect that 24.6% of all employed women in Armenia are engaged in agriculture, compared to 20.3% for men.

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