During the two months of training, participants listened to 27 lectures on soft skills, business development, access to finance, digital communications and innovative agricultural technology. 20 well-known teachers and representatives of business community, as well as practical experts from farms, cooperatives and amalgamated territorial communities shared their experiences and knowledge with the participants.
Upon completion of training, participants competed for targeted grants that Corteva Agriscience would award to the winning projects focusing on the improvement of community food security and addressing relevant needs through tackling hunger, providing access to drinking water, supporting responsible consumption, combating climate change and conservation of ecosystems.
Finally, let’s get acquainted with the finalists of the competition:
1st place
Popaz Vira, Odesa Oblast, Kubei Village (grant in the amount of $ 5,000)
Project: Installation of water treatment facilities in the Kubei ATC, which will provide drinking water to residents of nearby settlements of Bolhrad, Gorodninska and Vasylivska ATCs and tourists.
2nd place ($ 4,000)
Tarasenko (Lisova) Kateryna and Ilkiv Kateryna, Lviv Oblast, Tukhlia Village (grant in the amount of $ 4,000)
Project: Revival of farming in the Carpathians (Goat’s milk and craft cheese farm of two Katerynas).
Moseychuk Maria, Poltava Oblast, Gunki Village (grant in the amount of $ 4,000)
Project: Implementation of international food safety standards among craft honey producers (Automation and standardization of beekeepers’ activities).
3rd place ($ 3,000)
Stramnova Tetiana, Kherson Oblast, Muzykivka Village (grant in the amount of $ 3,000)
Project: Contact farm ‘Amalthea Goat’ (Providing the Kherson Oblast community with natural dairy products made of goat’s milk through the establishment of a contact farm for social adaptation of children with autism ).
Shapochka Erika, Zakarpattia Oblast, Gut Village (grant in the amount of $ 3,000)
Project: Mobile special garden assistance service ‘Plant Defenders’ (Increasing the level of food security of the community by ensuring optimal use of plant protection products by local agricultural producers).
We sincerely congratulate the winners of the grant program and all training participants. We believe that the acquired knowledge will be extremely useful for the development of own business. We are grateful to Corteva for this initiative empowering women that work in agriculture.
The current initiative not only promotes the economic potential of women in rural areas, strengthening of their leadership skills, but also raises their awareness of gender equality, domestic violence and existing protection mechanisms. This will make a significant contribution to the achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals, which are recognized priorities at the national level in Ukraine, in particular SDG 5 Gender Equality and SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth.
The programme was established for female farmers living in rural areas at the initiative and funding of the international research company Corteva Agriscience and with the support of #UNFPAUkraine, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Center for Corporate Social Responsibility Development and NGO All - Ukrainian Council of Female Farmers.
