"We were born on this land, we have to live on it and cultivate it," - the head of the farm "Livoberezhne" Vitaly Ponomarenko

The history of farming for Vitaly Ponomarenko began back in 2003. Then they, together with their father, rented land and equipment and started working.

"I have a degree in economics. I didn't know anything about plant growing. In the beginning, I just asked neighbors, farmer friends. After the first sowing, I would come to the field every morning and see if it came up. I was very worried that the crops would not grow. In the first years, he himself worked on the planter and loaded sacks - this is how we developed step by step the farm," Vitaly says. — Of course, it was scary in the beginning. There were a lot of loans. My hair turned gray in two years. It was not easy to find people and to work with people with little experience."
The family farm started with 150 hectares, later there were 350 hectares, then 950 hectares.


Today, the "Livoberezhne" farm is exclusively family-owned. Wheat, corn, sunflower, and rye are sown here. Employees are hired only for seasonal work. "The technology is now such that everything can be done very quickly. It is easier to negotiate with people than to keep your own equipment. There is no office or permanent staff. There is an accountant, sometimes I involve a lawyer. Sometimes parents help. We give sunflower seeds to the oil mill, and my mother helps sell the oil," says the farmer.

With the beginning of the War, the life of a small farm changed significantly, and not for the better. Vitaly says that since there is no price for grain, profits are low: "My wheat is in the red this year. I earned a bit on sunflowers, a bit on corn. Here, the main thing is to at least hold on while the war is on, but not to give up. I will sow, no matter what. I have been working for a long time. It is impossible for the land to stand still, and although opinions are different, I will sow."

According to Vitaly Ponomarenko, it was possible to get significant help this year thanks to commodity lending from Agro Arena. The farm took part in the "Farmer, Loan for you" product crediting project for micro, small and medium-sized agricultural producers, which is implemented by "Agro Arena" with the support of the USAID’s Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities Activity (AGRO). "I had many loans, because in agriculture there is no way without it. You have to find ways all the time. This year, he received corn seed on the terms of commodity lending. And I can say that it was under this program that the most favorable conditions were offered for a small farmer compared to the loans I took before. "Agro Arena" makes decisions very quickly," the farmer notes.


Moreover the farmer has hopes for state programs to support farms and the further opportunity to work under credit programs, so that it is possible not only to survive, but also to plan the development of the farm. "But no one is going to surrender, because Ukraine is our land," he emphasizes.

To become a participant in the commodity lending project "Farmer, loan for you", submit an application on the website or call the hotline number 0-800-307-001. All details are on the website: www:agro-arena.com.ua.