On October 28, the Shostky Military State Administration presented the final report based on the results of the assessment of agricultural markets and needs of the Shostky District, prepared as part of the implementation of the project "Assessment of agricultural markets and needs in the Shostky District and support in the livelihood of households from among IDPs and the war-affected local rural population from among vulnerable categories of the Shostky Territorial Community of Sumy Oblast". The project is being implemented by the NGO "Association for Democratic Development" together with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.
During the event, the main theses of the report were presented, the participants discussed current challenges and possible ways of attracting additional resources to support the agricultural sector of the Shostky region.
The presented report summarizes the collected data and formulates several key theses in the conclusions:
1) The agricultural sector of the Shostky district, despite significant losses from hostilities, retains a key role in ensuring food security and socio-economic stability of the region. The structure of production is dominated by crop production, while animal production has undergone a reduction, which stimulates the spread of shorter and less costly production cycles in households.
2) The most vulnerable group remain IDPs who have lost access to land, livestock and social support networks, necessitating targeted comprehensive care mechanisms. For short-term stabilization, cash transfers indexed according to inflation and seasonality are most effective, while the long-term perspective involves investments in infrastructure rehabilitation, development of cooperation and creation of institutional platforms to attract investment. In combination, these approaches are able to strengthen the stability and competitiveness of the local agricultural sector.
Representatives of the NRC, representatives of Shostkinsk, Glukhivsk, Yampilsk and Berezivsk territorial communities of Shostkinsk district, as well as other interested parties were invited to the presentation of the analytical report.
"Such analytical materials make it possible not only to better see the real picture in the communities of Shostky district, but also to appeal to international partners and donors with requests for support. We have to understand that behind every figure in the report there are real people and their needs. Thanks to such research, the public sector and communities can more effectively attract funds to the region and direct aid to where it is really needed", said Anna Nikolenko-Bayeva, Head of the NGO "Association for Democratic Development".Conducting an assessment of agricultural markets and needs, presenting its results was an important step in strengthening cooperation between the community, local authorities and international partners for the restoration and development of rural areas of Shostkivshchyna.
The project is implemented by the NGO "Association of Democratic Development" together with Norwegian Refugee Council in Ukraine (NRC) with the support of Germany.
