More Than Just Lavender: How a New Garden at COAF SMART Is Sowing Opportunity
Nestled beside the berry orchard on the lush COAF SMART Campus in Lori, rows of lavender will soon stretch across 800 square meters of hillside, slated to be a fragrant and forward-thinking new addition to SMART.
The lavender field, officially planted in May of this year with SMART students, is the latest expansion of the SMART Center’s Agrotechnology Program — serving as a demonstration and training garden for students, a production site for COAF-made goods, and a new sustainable revenue stream for funding SMART programs.
It’s also one more reason to visit COAF SMART Center and the Concept Hotel by COAF.
Why Lavender?
The idea took root with purpose. Lavender is a hardy, high-value crop well-suited to Lori’s sunny, dry summers. It requires minimal irrigation, no heavy pesticide use, and offers multiple benefits: educational, environmental, economic, and aesthetic.
COAF’s team selected two types of lavender — Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula x intermedia — to test which variety performs best in Lori’s microclimate. Students of the Agrotechnology Program will study each plant’s growth cycle, test cultivation techniques, and harvest flowers for use in small-batch product creation.
Learning by Doing
For students at SMART, the lavender garden has already become a favorite hands-on classroom. It’s a living lab where they’re applying the principles of sustainable agriculture, practicing cultivation methods, and preparing for real-world careers in agri-entrepreneurship.
As part of their learning, they’ll discover how lavender is used to create soaps, dried bouquets, essential oils, and more.
Lavender as a Stream of Sustainable Revenue
The SMART Center is cultivating lavender as part of a broader effort to generate sustainable, locally rooted revenue. A dedicated line of lavender-based products—including essential oils, soaps, and sachets—will be developed and sold to support SMART initiatives and reinvest in rural development. This effort showcases COAF’s commitment to innovation, self-sufficiency, and economic resilience in Armenia’s villages.
As part of their learning, they’ll discover how lavender is used to create soaps, dried bouquets, essential oils, and more.
https://youtu.be/O2q175XY4yw
A Blooming Future
The lavender garden is more than a seasonal highlight — it’s an investment in sustainable education and rural entrepreneurship.
With harvesting set for fall, production and sales of lavender-based products will begin shortly after.
So the next time you visit the SMART Center in Lori, follow your nose and make sure to stop by our new lavender field.
