Serhiyivska amalgamated hromada of Poltava Oblast has been saving itself from depopulation creating workplaces. Each local entrepreneur may get an interest-free loan in the amount of UAH 300 thousand here and become a member of cooperative stores that the hromada invests into.

“Our hromada is not big in terms of population: we have only 3 thousand of residents in 13 villages, and we calculated that if the pace is unchanged, in 20 years there will no people at all in these parts. Therefore, the rapid decrease in population is the biggest problem of our hromada, which is, in particular, determined in its development strategy. Population increase requires not lighting or repair, but workplaces! I proclaimed the slogan “An individual entrepreneur for each homestead!” I have made some working trips to Canada, Finland and Germany and saw how this slogan worked there. As a matter of fact, it is the basis of rural development. Small family-operated farms, having from 5 up to 20 cows, produce cheese; the other similar farms grow raspberry, vegetables and fruits or breed animals. The income they got is more than enough for the decent living of one family. There should be not less than a thousand of similar farms and farmers in our hromada, based on my calculations. We have been already running farms here. For instance, Anatoliy Illyashenko, the Head of “Dobrobut” company which is managing our forest, has a vegetable garden of about 40 ares, and I also have the same. I breed rabbits and pigs, someone keeps 50 fowls, someone grows a half of a hectare of garlic…” - Ihor Lidovyi, the Head of Serhiyivska AH, former Head of district educational authority and the Director of two local schools, noted.

It is interesting that there is no lack in jobs, which are, besides, high paying, in Serhiyivka AH. After all, there is Kachanivske gas field located in the hromada territory, and salaries of gas workers from there reach up to UAH 25 thousand. Combine operators in agricultural holdings also do not complain of their salary. However, Ihor Lidovyi is convinced that it is not enough to save the hromada. They should create as much of small business enterprises as possible to save it from depopulation.

Small Business Support Programme, for which the District Administration even created a special fund, provides that everyone who wishes may submit his business ideas to the local commission for consideration, and, on its recommendation, the fund will afterwards allocate the money.