Kateryna ILKIV & Kateryna TARASENKO

Kateryna ILKIV,
Kateryna TARASENKO

[ region ]

Lviv

05 / 07 / 2021

Farm of Two Katerynas, Tukhlia village, Lviv oblast

[ topic ] Food Security and Organic Farming

While Ukraine is a very competitive supplier of raw material, processing is rather a weak branch of agricultural production. The sector is also rather not diversified. The government made it a priority of its agro strategy.

Switzerland is fostering value-added trade by enhancing both quality and safety of products. It supports trading capacities in the organic and dairy sectors in Ukraine.

Responsible сonsumption and production / 12

Back in 2017 we were two women who had to restart from scratch. Kateryna Tarasenko struggled to find her way after she fled her war-torn native Luhansk region. Kateryna Ilkiv was a nurse in a Carpathian village. Her house had just burned down. All we had was one goat and our strong friendship. So we rented out a farm with neither running water nor electricity and we started our own farm. Today we have near a hundred milking goats and goatlings. We make cheese, meat and beer. We lead touristic tours and we organise tasting sessions, too. Our work is daunting, there is no hiding it. We would not have made it that far without support from Ukrainian and international partners.

We want to become an actor of the local economy.

A unique solidarity network among citizens and a constant media focus helped also. Yet we still have so much to accomplish to convince young people to come and work with us but also to become an actor of the local economy and to open an ecotourism center. We have very ambitious plans in order to build ourselves a new life in the mountains and to contribute to the renewal of the Ukrainian know-how in the sphere of cheese production.

Since 24th February 2022

Kateryna Ilkiv and Kateryna Tarasenko's situation is not known. Switzerland has intensified its efforts to support Ukraine and Ukrainians despite tragic circumstances. We work together for a peaceful, safe and prosperous Ukraine.

after

24 feb 2022

What else is Switzerland doing for Ukraine?

Switzerland has been assisting those impacted through various means – from humanitarian aid, humanitarian demining and financial support to granting protection status S to individuals from Ukraine seeking refuge. By 15 February 2024, the Swiss federal government had spent a total of around 3 billion Swiss francs to support Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland and people in Ukraine.

In 2022, Switzerland organised the first Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano and launched the political process to help Ukraine rebuild. The Summit on Peace in Ukraine, held in Switzerland in 2024, set up a path towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. In the longer term, the Federal Council aims to allocate 1.5 billion Swiss francs to support Ukraine's recovery efforts by 2028.

organic farming

energy efficiency

search for missing persons

food security

culture

tourism

diplomacy

peace process

health

psychosocial support

protection

education