Ruslan Fedyn on his farm in Ternopil Oblast The foundation for the new warehouse

Despite Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, many young Ukrainians – 66% according to a the 2023 report by Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine – do not want to leave the country.

In fact, some 37% of young people in Ukraine choose to “be helpful for their country” as one of their key life goals, while 46% consider entrepreneurship as a path to achieving that. Ruslan Fedyn, a 31-year-old farmer from Ternopil Oblast, is certainly one of them.

Ruslan started running his own farm two years ago after working on his father’s property for the previous five years. Ruslan grows corn, beetroot, soybeans and oil crops, utilizing available green technological processes and adhering to all environmental standards.

“We, a younger generation, should bring in modern practices to Ukraine, even if during wartime. This is the way I see the future of Ukrainian agriculture too,” said Ruslan.

Working in the local market, Ruslan has noticed a growing demand from the community for his high-quality products. Increased demand meant he also had increased needs to store larger quantities of crops.

The young farmer, however, lacked the financing to build a warehouse on his farm. His fellow farmers directed him to a local credit union to apply for a lower-interest loan.

These loans are made possible by the $500,000 Resilience Initiative launched by USAID/WOCCU Credit for Agriculture Producers (CAP) Project and Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions – a liquidity support program through credit unions for micro-, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in rural Ukraine.

Thanks to a one of these loans, Ruslan has already laid the foundation for his new warehouse and started the construction work, which will enable him to meet the growing demand in the new agricultural season.

To date, over 100 loans have been disbursed for a total of more than US $500,000 under the Resilience Initiative.