Agribusiness Education Fund aid Armenia

Bill Erysian
The Armenian Agribusiness Education Fund, a non-profit, independent foundation, has been established to serve as a new mechanism for developing long-term financial support for agribusiness education initiatives in Armenia.

Housed on the Fresno State campus, the foundation is endorsed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Marketing Assistance Project in Armenia, the Agricultural Economics Department at Texas A&M University and the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State.

Bill Erysian, a part-time instructor at Fresno State and executive director of the new foundation, said agribusiness continues to play a significant role in Armenia’s transition to a market-driven economy and in its drive toward agricultural self-sufficiency, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the country’s national income. Long-term funding for education is critical for Armenia to remain competitive in world food markets, he said.

Agribusiness Teaching Center students during their internship in Armenian agribusinesses work on labels at Getnatun Winery.


Interns work at Noyan Juice Factory.

The foundation recently targeted its financial efforts to develop long-term support for the Agribusiness Teaching Center in Yerevan, a unique undergraduate institution that has rapidly gained a reputation as one of the top agribusiness programs in the entire region. Classes at the center are taught in English by qualified American and Armenian professors.

The Armenian Agribusiness Education Fund has drawn upon the expertise of a variety of individuals with experience in higher education, agricultural development and Armenian studies. The Board of Directors includes Harold H. Haak, president emeritus of Fresno State, chairman; John E. Anderson of Merrill Lynch, vice president; Kenneth F. Farrell, vice president emeritus, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California; Barlow Der Mugrdechian, lecturer, Armenian Studies, Fresno State; John P. Nichols, professor and associate head, Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University; and Paul Sommers, lecturer, College of Agriculture, California State University, Pomona.

For more information on the Armenian Agribusiness Education Fund and its higher education programs in Armenia, call 8-0317 or e-mail aaef@csufresno.edu. Additional board members are currently being sought.