A field of bright-green crops.

Unlocking Ukraine’s Agricultural Potential .

Agriculture and Food Security | Land Tenure and Resource Governance | Enabling Environment for Agriculture | Improved Production Practices and Technologies
Europe and Eurasia

Agriculture and Rural Development Support Program

Project Dates: September 2016 - July 2020
With better policies, Ukraine can leverage its agriculture sector to get the most out of its arable land while supporting its more than 4 million smallholder farmers.

Ukraine has some of the world’s most fertile soil, but fragmentation of the land has limited the agriculture sector’s success: More than half of Ukraine’s gross agricultural product is generated by approximately 4 million smallholder farmers scattered across the country. The USAID Agriculture and Rural Development Support program worked with the government, businesses, and community leaders to create policies and programs that facilitated more effective land governance and supported an open, functional land market. The project strengthened partnerships among these groups to increase investments in agricultural infrastructure and rural communities. With this support, Ukraine transformed its agriculture sector into an engine of rural development.

89

million dollars in incremental sales for small- and medium-sized enterprises

50,000

farmers and private household engaged with ARDS

72

legislative pieces revised and drafted

Project Goals


  • Work with national stakeholders to develop policies that are transparent and effective
  • Train small- and medium-sized enterprises on modern technologies and approaches to help them competitively produce and process fruit, vegetables, dairy, and meat
  • Collaborate with community leaders to get more state support for smallholder farmers and strengthen cooperatives and other producer groups
  • Assist rural communities and vulnerable populations, including those impacted by the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine