The purpose of the AgroInvest project is to provide technical assistance to accelerate and broaden economic recovery in Ukraine and increase the country’s contribution to global food security efforts. AgroInvest is achieving this objective by supporting a stable, market-oriented agricultural policy environment; stimulating access to financial services for small and medium producers (SMPs); and facilitating a more effective market infrastructure for SMPs.
The scope of work identifies three main components that are refined into six tasks, as follows:
- Component 1: Support a Stable, Market-Oriented Policy Environment
Task 1-a: Accelerate Market-Oriented Reforms
Task 1-b: Strengthen Industry Associations
Task 1-c: Provide Public Education for Land Rights - Component 2: Stimulate Access to Finance
Task 2-a: Provide Sustainable Access to Financial Services for SMPs - Component 3: Facilitate Market Infrastructure for Small and Medium Producers
Task 3-a: Producer Organization Development
Task 3-b: Develop Wholesale Markets and Other Market Infrastructure
AgroInvest is a five-year project with an estimated completion date of January 24, 2016. The scope of this project encompasses the following U.S. Foreign Assistance Framework Program Areas: 4.2 Trade and Investment, 4.5 Agriculture, 4.6 Private Sector Competitiveness, and 4.7 Economic Opportunity.
QUARTERLY HIGHLIGHTS
From April through June 2015, the AgroInvest project team marked the following key activities and accomplishments:
- Provided assistance to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine (MAPF) in finalizing the Comprehensive Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development in Ukraine for 2015-2020, which is being jointly developed by the Ministry and the European Commission.
- Selected a subcontractor and commenced implementation of the study on social partnerships between agricultural land lessees and rural communities
- Developed seven draft laws that deal with land issues in the agriculture sector and presented them for public discussion.
- Prepared the annual update to the project’s Strategic Policy Priority Needs Paper.
- At the request of the MAPF, initiated competitive selection of a subcontractor to conduct a national survey of land owners, farming enterprises, and the population at large on land reform in the Ukrainian agriculture sector.
- Organized a presentation, “Pig Production Without Antibiotics: How Much It Costs,” during the 7th International Profitable Pig Production Congress in Kyiv.
- Publicly presented the report on government regulation of agricultural and food markets and the role of self-regulating organizations in selected EU countries, and developed a draft law “On the Framework of Self-Regulation in the Agrarian Sector of the Economy of Ukraine.”
- Held a two-day agricultural policy training for students and young professionals in conjunction with the Interns’ League.
- Continued support of the Analytical and Coordination Platform for agriculture sector industry associations.
- Continued to support land reform and training of legal land rights service providers through the Land Rights Resource Center and Web-Portal.
- Conducted a comprehensive analysis of local administrations’ experience in providing regional subsidies for SMPs in three Oblasts, and held subsequent discussions of the results with those administrations’ management.
- Conducted 15 training sessions in Lviv, Kherson, and Kharkiv Oblasts to familiarize 366 farmers with new lending opportunities for potential borrowers of the DCA-partner credit unions.
- Conducted 15 innovative training events on closed value chain rabbit breeding for 502 SMPs that are members of partner credit unions.
- Organized and conducted a study tour that sent seven high-ranking Ukrainian officials to Brussels to meet the European Network of Credit Unions, the Vice President of the European Parliament, and the EU Commission and share critical knowledge on the strategic development of Ukrainian credit unions and the harmonization of Ukrainian legislation with EU standards.
- Conducted six classroom and field-based Oblasttraining sessions (two per Oblast) for farmers in support of the AgroInvest and DuPont-Pioneer Partnership Program in Kherson, Lviv, and Kharkiv Oblasts.
- Launched a series of agro-technological training for members of Kherson partner credit unions to increase the effectiveness of vegetable production on their farms and to leverage their creditworthiness.
- Completed the implementation of a training course for 24 consultants to provide small and medium-sized enterprises with information and applicable suggestions on the introduction and support of HACCP and Global GAP food safety systems.
- Developed action plans and prepared the documentation required for HACCP and Global GAP certification for six partner producer organizations.
- Jointly with the USAID Regional Economic Growth Project and the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, AgroInvest conducted a two-day training in Kyiv on EU market developments; export opportunities; product quality; and food safety and certifications for fresh and processed fruits and vegetables. The training was targeted at producers, manufacturers, and exporters of fresh and/or processed fruits and vegetables. It was attended by representatives from Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.