Credit for Agriculture Producers (CAP) Project in Ukraine

Featured Video

Let's Win Together!

Ukrainian credit unions have played a significant role in assisting farmers and vulnerable people since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The CAP Project has been supporting them and recommending ways to engage local communities in joint initiatives to help those in need. 

As a result, Kredyt-Soiuz, the CAP Project's partner credit union from Cherkasy Oblast, has created a new loan product called “Let’s Win Together.” It offers better loan terms and conditions for agricultural producers who in turn donate part of their agricultural products to support the most vulnerable during wartime. 

Learn and Discover

Check out our latest blog posts to learn how we help agricultural producers in Ukraine. Our posts cover case studies and success stories of how credit unions provide access to affordable finance for agricultural and rural micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine.

Maria and Bohdan Zobrodotski at their dairy farm, Volyn Oblast, Ukraine

Ukrainian Family Dairy Farms Grow Businesses with Credit Union Financing, Despite Ongoing War

An inspirational story of a young and motivated couple running a dairy farm in wartime Ukraine.

Two men shake hands while one holds coupons. A woman stands in the middle of the men.

Relief Programs Help Ukrainian Farmers Get Through First Year of War

Loan reimbursements and free diesel fuel provided to Ukrainian farmers as immediate response to the war challenges.

Wheat farmers in Ukraine

Wartime Wheat: Supporting Farmers and Food Security in Ukraine

Real-life stories about the resilience of Ukrainian crop producers in wartime.

Project Overview

Affordable finance is key to the operation and growth of every business. But micro-, small- and medium-sized agricultural enterprises in Ukraine are rarely the target audience for commercial banks, as their financing needs are too small in scale. Credit unions are often their financial partner of choice, providing loyal customer service through an individual, tailored approach, without the burdensome bureaucracy of a large bank.

In 2016, to strengthen the Ukrainian credit union market and thereby expand access to agricultural credit, USAID launched the Credit for Agriculture Producers (CAP) Project, implemented by World Council of Credit Unions. 

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the CAP Project has been responsive to market needs by working with credit unions, their national associations and the market regulator to ensure that credit unions can remain open and continue to serve their communities by providing access to savings and agricultural loans to support local food security and other individual member needs.

Our Objectives

Grain Farm

Objective 1. Improve the country’s outdated credit union laws and regulations to meet international and European Union best practices, building a foundation for early recovery, long-term growth and increased access to finance to support local agricultural and economic growth.

Objective 2. Support the digital transformation of credit unions to expand outreach and better meet the needs of their members, and strengthen cybersecurity.

Objective 3. Provide additional liquidity to the credit union sector through a USAID-funded $1 million Liquidity Fund and other donor contributions to ensure sufficient resources for agricultural and rural micro- and small-business lending through credit unions.

Objective 4. Build the capacity of credit unions to lend to rural and agricultural micro and small businesses, including those led by women, and relocated and returnee populations, through adaptations of proven lending and marketing methodologies, and value chain finance.

Results to-date

18,100

new agriloans for a total of $26M disbursed by CAP Project partner credit unions

2,241

agriloans for a total of $3.9M disbursed by CAP Project partner credit unions in wartime

1/4

of all agriloans disbursed by Ukrainian credit unions were issued via the Liquidity Fund