One Ukraine farmer's story

Marlen Sary-Belyal grows tomatoes and lettuce year-round in a tiny village in South-Eastern Ukraine. He has a greenhouse that is 50 meters by 10 meters, but must replace the plastic each year because he does not have the capital required to buy better quality plastics. Like most small farmers here, Sary-Belyal has no access to credit. He managed to finance his greenhouse by scrounging and borrowing from family members – hardly a sustainable long-term strategy. “The next stage in this village is obvious,” says Oleg Osaulyuk, a manager for MEDA Ukraine. “They need storage to market jointly rather than marketing separately and competing in price.”

 

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