More than one billion people worldwide suffer from chronic hunger, and projections indicate that, without a substantial increase in the global food supply, the number of food insecure people will continue to increase. Ukraine’s robust agricultural endowment could help feed a world that the United Nations forecasts to require 70 percent more food by 2050. USAID helps Ukraine reclaim its “breadbasket” status and catalyze broad-based economic growth by constructing a stable, market-oriented policy environment; stimulating agricultural finance; and promoting more effective market infrastructure for small and medium producers. USAID promotes effective agricultural and property rights policies, international market channels, and financing mechanisms for small and medium producers.

Current program:

Credit for Agricultural Producers
Implementer: WOCCU
Project Period: August 25, 2016 – March 31, 2023
https://www.facebook.com/USAID.WOCCU.CAP/

The Credit for Agricultural Producers project supports broad-based, resilient economic growth by strengthening the capacity of Ukrainian credit unions to expand agricultural lending to increase employment and income opportunities in rural Ukraine. The project is creating a legal and regulatory environment to strengthen credit unions as non-bank financial service providers. It is building the capacity of the two national credit union associations to develop and implement improved policies and enable the associations to deliver better services to their members. The activity is also assisting credit unions to expand their agricultural loan portfolios while offering members timely economic loans. To help credit unions overcome liquidity constraints, the Credit for Agricultural Producers project is helping to mobilize savings and provide access to affordable external capital.  The project is also assisting five credit unions to support utilization of an existing Development Credit Authority Loan Portfolio Guarantee.

Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities (AGRO)
Implementer: Chemonics International
Project Period: November 15, 2019 – November 14, 2024

USAID’s AGRO is helping to accelerate the economic development of rural Ukrainian communities with the greatest need through a better governed agricultural sector, which encourages more productive, modern, and profitable micro, small, and medium (MSMEs) agricultural enterprises that are successfully integrated into competitive markets both in Ukraine and internationally. AGRO is implemented primarily in the East and South to achieve accelerated economic development in rural communities with the greatest need. AGRO is working to: 1) increase revenues for agricultural small and medium enterprises; 2) increase access to finance for agricultural SMEs; 3) establish a fair and transparent agricultural land market (land reform), and; 4) reduce corruption in the agricultural sector.