Sustainable Rural Development in Ukraine
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Authors and Editors Solomiya Babyak Mattie Wolters Annemarie Mohr Margriet Samwel Sascha Gabizon Sustainable Rural Development in Ukraine Demonstrating solutions for water supply, sanitation and agriculture Case Study September 2007 Publication Data 2007 WECF Published by WECF Utrecht/Munich, September 2007 Prepared for WECF by Case Study Authors Solomiya Babyak Mattie Wolters Sustainable Rural Annemarie Mohr Editors Development in Ukraine Margriet Samwel Sascha Gabizon Demonstrating solutions for water supply, sanitation and agriculture Layout by Frauke Paré Source of figures: WECF, MAMA-86, TUHH WECF, Women in Europe for a Common Future The Netherlands / Germany Email: [email protected] http://www.wecf.eu WECF The Netherlands WECF e.V. Germany PO Box 13047 St. Jakobs-Platz 10 3507-LA Utrecht D - 80331 Munich The Netherlands Germany Tel.: +31 - 30 - 23 10 300 Tel.: +49 - 89 - 23 23 938 - 0 Fax: +31 - 30 - 23 40 878 Fax: +49 - 89 - 23 23 938 - 11 This publication was realized with financial support of Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bank account numbers for tax deductible donations: Authors The Netherlands: Germany: Account Number: 1266 45 11 Account Number 1313 90 50 Solomiya Babyak IBAN: NL96 RABO 0126 6451 16 Bank code 701 500 00 Mattie Wolters BIC: RABONL2U IBAN: DE68 7015 0000 013 1390 50 Annemarie Mohr BIC: SSKMDEMM Stadtsparkasse München, Munich Editors Margriet Samwel Sascha Gabizon About WECF Contents Acknowledgements . 4 Women in Europe for a Common Future is a network of organisations and individuals working for sustainable development, protection of human health and environment and poverty reduction. Our international network Summary . 5 consists of members and partners in Western and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. 1 | Introduction . 6 WECF supports partners with sustainable rural development projects in 12 countries: 2 | Methodology . 7 • Afghanistan 3 | Project Results . 8 • Armenia • Belarus 3.1 Bobryk and Vertijivka. 8 • Bulgaria 3.1.1 Awareness raising, education and empowerment. 9 • Georgia 3.1.2 Safe drinking water entails: groundwater protection. 10 • Kazakhstan 3.1.3 Ecological sanitation in Bobryk: slow bureaucracy, fast construction. 11 • Kyrgyzstan 3.1.4 Organic agriculture: first steps towards sustainable potato cultivation. 12 • Moldova • Romania 3.2 Gozhuly. 14 • Tajikistan 3.2.1 Awareness raising, education and empowerment. 15 • Ukraine 3.2.2 Safe drinking water: a restored well improves the health of 96 families. 15 • Uzbekistan 3.2.3 Ecological sanitation: the first indoor ecosan school toilet in Ukraine. 16 3.2.4 Organic agriculture: Gozhuly farmers start organic farming. 19 3.3 Vorokhta. 20 3.3.1 Awareness raising, education and empowerment. 21 3.3.2 Safe drinking water: the highest priority in Vorokhta. 22 3.3.3 Ecological sanitation: a good solution for a mountainous area. 23 4 | The project at national and international level . 25 5 | Conclusions and lessons learned . 26 6 | Recommendations . 28 Annexes . 29 1 Costs of construction of the ecosan toilets in the project areas . 29 2 Conclusions of the Chernigiv Institute of Agricultural Microbiology on potato cultivation in Bobryk and Vertijivka. 30 3 Publications and other educational materials, MAMA-86. 30 4 Media coverage in Ukraine . 32 5 Other WECF publications. 33 Map of Ukraine with the project villages Vorokhta located in Ivano-Frankivsk, Bobryk/Vertijivka in the Chernihiv and Gozhuly in Poltava oblast. 1 Vorokhta; 2 Bobryk/Vertijivka; 3 Gozhuly. Acknowledgements Summary We would like to thank all the citizens of the project villages the Ukrainian partners Anna Tsvetkova of MAMA-86 Kiev, This publication presents the results of the which were established to identify local To promote organic agriculture, explain Bobryk, Vertijivka, Gozhuly and Vorokhta, and their local and Valentina Shchokina of MAMA-86 Nizhyn , Julya Kovalyova multi-stakeholder project ‘Co-operation for problems and look for suitable and af- its benefits and give the (subsistence) regional authorities; without their co-operation and contribution of MAMA-86 Poltava, Matha Korchemlyuk of MAMA-86 Sustainable Rural Development’, that took fordable solutions, participated in work- farmers practical support and information, the realisation of this project would not have been possible. Yaremche, and Stefan Deegener of the Hamburg University place in Ukraine between 2003 and 2006. shops, and contributed in-kind to several an Organic Agriculture Informational In particular we would like to thank the children and staff of of Technology for their co-operation, contribution, support The project was funded by the Dutch projects. Pupils of the local schools tested Centre was founded in Vertijivka. A local the schools of the project areas for their support, patience, and persistence. Finally, we would like to thank the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has carried over 250 drinking water wells, and found consultant trained farmers continuously, enthusiasm and willingness to participate. They all played Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Without their financial support, out by the NGOs MAMA-86, Ukraine, and that most of the wells were highly pollut- integrating local knowledge. In Bobryk, a very crucial role in the project activities. the project “Co-operation for Sustainable Rural Development” Women of Europe for a Common Future ed with nitrates. where the local population is highly Furthermore, we would like to express our gratitude to would not been realised. (WECF), the Netherlands. In the area of water, the project team depended on potato cultivation, healthy The rural population of Ukraine has extre- tested drinking water on pollution and and more suitable potato strains were 6 mely low incomes, high unemployment found high levels of nitrates, micro biologi- introduced to the subsistence farmers, 7 rates, limited access to safe drinking water, cal pollution and high fluoride levels, all improving the yield. An expert in Gozhuly and a poor infrastructure. Since the inde- causing health problems. The project team developed a strategy how to switch from pendence of Ukraine little has been done helped looking for alternative drinking unsustainable agriculture to organic to stimulate the development of the rural water sources, cleaned and restored farming, and the participating farmers areas and the situation is worsening. In drinking water wells, installed a water filter joined the Ukrainian Federation of Organic order to contribute to the rural develop- for a kindergarten and water meters for Agriculture Movement. ment and to improve the public health private households and contributed to the In all three project areas, more than half and the economical situation, this project extension of a central water supply sys- of the project committees consisted of implemented demonstration projects and tem. Due to these improvements hun- women. These women took a very active organized awareness raising campaigns in dreds of people in the project area now part in the project implementation. the areas of water, sanitation and agricul- have access to safe drinking water. At the national level, the project team ture. To empower the local population and In the area of sanitation, the project team addressed and discussed the issues of authorities, they were actively involved constructed dry urine diverting toilets and water, sanitation, agriculture and the into the project. The three project villages hand washing facilities for local schools problems in the rural areas on national Bobryk/Vertijivka, Gozhuly and Vorokhta, and private households. Through the television, radio and in national newspa- were selected according to their specific construction of these ‘ecosan’ toilet facili- pers and had a substantial impact on the local needs. ties the project team aimed to demonstra- Ukrainian National Program on Drinking To make the population aware of the te an alternative to the traditional pit Water, in which they managed to include consequences of water pollution, bad latrines and to show how management of the rural areas. hygiene and sanitation practices and human waste can contribute to a better The project results and experiences were unsustainable agriculture, and of the ground and drinking water quality and presented and discussed on various alternatives and solutions, the project how the reuse of human excrement can international forums, for example the team developed and distributed informa- be a part of sustainable agriculture. Be- World Water Forum in Mexico, the World tive material and organized numerous sides that, it improved the health and life Water Week in Sweden and the II seminars and workshops. Citizens orga- of the toilet users, especially that of the International Dry Toilet Conference in nised themselves in project committees, pupils of the local schools. Finland. Project team and local authorities of Gozhuly in front of the new ecosan school toilet facility 1 | Introduction 2 | Methodology Ukraine is one of the Newly Independent of human and animal waste and unsu- It was carried out in three different villages: The methodology of this project consisted mes like drinking water, ecological The choice of these pilot projects were States (NIS) that appeared on the world stainable agricultural practices. Poorly Vorokhta in the western, Bobryk in the of the 5 following steps: sanitation (ecosan), organic agriculture based on community needs and the map after the collapse of the Soviet Union. managed obsolete pesticides also cause northern, and Gozhuly in the eastern