Modern and Inclusive Agricultural Co-operatives in Ukraine

Women at the heart of a major success!

Introduction

In 2008, Socodevi launched a support program for small family dairy farms located in the provinces of Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. Working closely with our local partners—the agricultural extension services of both regions—we focused our efforts on improving on-farm dairy production efficiency, strengthening individual and collective entrepreneurship, and optimizing product marketing.

A closer look at the project

Description

We support Ukraine’s dairy sector to help thousands of producers benefit from continuous technical assistance and significantly improve their production. The success of our work with Ukrainian dairy producers is grounded in the extensive expertise of Agropur, a dairy co-operative and long-standing member of our network.

Our impact

The dairy support project helped structure a high-performing dairy value chain:

  • 1,000 women and men dairy producers were grouped into two regional unions, forming a network of 20 co-operative enterprises.
  • 120 modern family farms, each designed for herds of 10 to 30 cows, were established, ensuring decent and stable livelihoods.
  • To streamline collection, 200 milk collection points were set up across 8 provinces.
  • A demonstration farm with 120 Jersey and Holstein cows was also built and made operational, offering hands-on training to farmers.

The result: better-organized production, more stable incomes, and progress driven by the co-operative model.

Project partners

  • Dnipropetrovsk Agricultural Advisory Services
  • Rural Women’s Business Network

Testimonials

“My dairy farm and my co-operative are tools that help me increase my income and grow as a woman, a mother, and a wife.”

  • Mariya Volianyuk
    POKROVA Co-operative, Ukraine

In pictures

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