One of the components of the “Horizons” Dual Education Program of the “My Step” Charitable Foundation is precision agriculture. Albert Abrahamyan, who teaches precision agriculture as part of the “Agrotechnology” professional orientation group training program held at the high school of Sisian in Syunik Province, had a month to explain to the pupils what the peculiarity of this subject is.

“Precision agriculture is different from conventional agriculture in terms of the use of high-tech devices. Humidity of air and soil, acidity of soil, GPS coordinates — this complex allows taking a step forward and carrying out precision agriculture. In other words, villagers no longer take traditional practice as a basis, but have a stock in which every datum is noted, forecasts are made based on the instructions provided by sensors, and everything is done more efficiently than is done in conventional agriculture,” Albert Abrahamyan said.

In the same school, Albert Abrahamyan is also head of Armath Engineering Laboratories and has revealed the secrets of robot construction for the learners. Within the logic of precision agriculture, a robot can even harvest crops, distinguish between ripe and unripe and fresh and rotten fruits. The pupils also learned about the structure of agrodrone, explored the device during flight, and also controlled a rural UAV during a practical lesson. It is the practical lessons that captured and sparked the interest of Heghine Martirosyan, who is a 10^th grader at High School #1 in Goris. During the nine-month academic year, the high school students participating in the Program visited various greenhouses and industries and the Smart Agriculture Center of the Armenian National Agrarian University in Sisian.

“It seems to me that the intensive garden is a great idea and can unequivocally help accelerate the development of agriculture and the overall economy in Armenia by a few times. What also really interested me were the agrodrones and how they can be applied in agriculture. I am very glad that agriculture in Armenia has reached this level. The “Horizons” Program is very important since it contributes to the professional orientation of young people,” said Heghine Martirosyan.

Based on the interactive classes, the practical lessons, the experience gained and the new acquaintances, Arevik Karapetyan, another 10^th grader of High School #1 in Goris, has come to the conclusion that the “Horizons” Program needs to go from being a group training program to becoming a mandatory subject.

“In this period, we met new students and lecturers and gained new knowledge and experience. One of the topics that interested me the most was fruit cultivation, and it is more than a pleasure when you can apply theoretical knowledge in practice. This is very important. I really liked working in the garden, fertilizing soil or vaccinating plants. My family and I don’t have a land plot or garden, but I will try to transmit my knowledge to my acquaintances and relatives,” Arevik Karapetyan remarked.

The teachers of the Program say any subject with a practice component can’t be ineffective and most of the participants of the group program have a great future in agriculture, adding that all the preconditions are created and the only thing left for them to do is to simply organize activities the right way.

Currently, the organizers of the “Horizons” Dual Education Program, initiated by the “My Step” Charitable Foundation, are extending the list of participating schools (another 6 schools will join the current 9 schools in the new academic year).