ASME’s goal was to increase market opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses. For the first four years, efforts were exclusively targeted at agribusiness enterprises such as canneries, dried fruit producers, meat processors, milk processors, poultry producers, and fish farms.

Beginning in early 2004, USAID asked DAI to broaden ASME’s focus to include textiles and apparel and a broader set of nonfarm rural enterprises. Those new initiatives delivered very good results: they strengthened the rural business service provider network and the commercial links between the providers and their private clients, and ASME contributed to the development of the Armenian fashion industry, members of which are now rapidly increasing their share of the growing Armenian market and beginning to export. The project team expanded its client base and had notable success in encouraging local industry association development.

In May 2006, USAID requested ASME’s assistance in working with government agencies and private producers to respond to the growing threat of avian influenza (AI). ASME’s AI program was forged around three pillars: 1) providing technical support to the Government of Armenia to strengthen its surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, and monitoring capabilities; 2) assisting private poultry producers to improve their flock monitoring and biosafety practices, and preparing to respond effectively to outbreaks; and 3) coordinating AI communications activities among donor organizations and government ministries, developing communication materials to improve the public’s knowledge of AI, improving the biosafety practices of both domestic bird raisers and commercial poultry operations, and enhancing consumer confidence in the safety of poultry products.