The integrated development of the water and agriculture sectors is key to support Armenia towards enhanced food sovereignty, resilience and livelihood of rural populations, in a context of high climate and geopolitical vulnerabilities.
In the past years, under investments and deteriorated infrastructures, gaps in legislation and low institutional capacities at central and local level have highly affected water supply and sanitation, irrigation services and have contributed to the rural and agrarian crisis, in addition to the impacts of climate change.
AFD and World Bank together with the EU contribution join forces to promote efficient and sustainable water management and services as well as to develop a climate-resilient, more productive agriculture in order to address these major bottlenecks, following the request from the Government of Armenia for an ambitious and transformational program.
The project will include investments to rehabilitate and modernize strategic water infrastructures in the country, institutional support and capacity building of key actors involved in the water sector, land management and agriculture development at central and local level, with a dedicated focus on the strategic Syunik region.
The WAIDA programme gathers two pillars:
Pillar 1 - WISE – Water and Irrigation Services Enhancement (nationwide - covering various regions of Armenia but not Syunik) – co-financed through sovereign loans of WB, AFD and EU delegated funds and;
Pillar 2 - LITDS - Land and Irrigation for Territorial Development in Syunik (local-based targeting exclusively Syunik) financed by AFD loans and EU delegated funds.
It will be implemented in two phases. The first phase (2026-2033) the WISE component – pillar 1 will be implemented though three main activities:
1) Institutional support (at the policy level, at the sectorial level (TA to the WC/WSA, as implementing agencies), at the ground/local level (TA/IG for WUAs);
2) Support to land management;
3) Infrastructure rehabilitation and the LITDS – pillar 2 will be implemented focusing on the activities related to access to water and agricultural development (including land management and extension services) – that is to say focusing on the upstream of Syunik’s critical agri value-chains.

The project aims to “promote inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient economic and social development by enhancing water governance and boosting the productivity and environmental sustainability of the agricultural sector”.
The main objective is to promote efficient and sustainable water management and services as well as to develop a climate-resilient and more productive agriculture. The project will include investments to rehabilitate and modernize strategic water infrastructures in the country, institutional support and capacity building of key actors involved in the water sector, land management and agriculture development at central and local level, with a dedicated focus on the strategic Syunik region.

Output 1- Policy and regulatory framework are upgraded
Output 2 - Improved irrigation and drainage facilities in line with climate proofing
Output 3 - Employment directly supported
Output 4 - Improved performance of supported businesses
Output 5 - Improved deforestation-free and climate-smart ecosystem-based agricultural / livestock / fishing / forest management practices
Output 6 - Increased sustainable agricultural/livestock/fish farming production capacity