Impact of agricultural service cooperatives on subsistence farmer livelihoods in Ukraine
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Heifer Project International Ukraine (Heifer) projects are designed to educate and improve production output through provision of livestock to needy farmers with the offspring "passed-on" to other families. Seeking ways to improve program goals and income/livelihood levels of project families, Heifer requested analysis of the objectives and results of five of its agricultural service cooperatives (ASC). Its goal was to validate income/livelihood increase, nutritional consumption increase, improved social capital and increased skills and education of its project holders, through analysis of milk production, sales and consumption and skills training. Five Heifer ASCs were compared. In theory, agricultural skills and education provided by the cooperative will allow diversification of outputs; increased milk production and collection; increased income and nutritional farm consumption; and social capital which will improve sustainability, job production, and participation, allowing the village to strengthen and grow. (Author abstract)