Full-scale war has caused significant damage to agriculture in the Zaporizhzhia region, undermining food security and depriving many local residents of their sources of income. To address these challenges, the District #1 Charity Foundation, in cooperation with Terra Tech and with financial support from Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH), implemented the project «Supporting Economic Recovery of Families in Zaporizhzhia Region through Small-Scale Poultry Farming and Beekeeping».

The main goal of this initiative is to strengthen the economic resilience of rural families and restore their normal way of life through the development of small-scale family farming.

The comprehensive support program covered 325 households in the region across two key areas:

25 households — restoration and modernization of apiaries;

300 households — launch and development of small-scale poultry farming.

Component 1: Revitalization of beekeeping

Support was provided to active beekeepers who were affected by hostilities and partially or fully lost their apiaries. Thanks to efficient budget optimization, the Foundation’s team was able to increase the final number of beneficiaries compared to the initial plan.

Material and technical support was distributed according to the individual needs of each beekeeper:

20 households received large-scale kits, including 5 beehives, 6 bee colonies, and 1 trailer for migratory beekeeping;

5 households received smaller kits, consisting of 5 beehives and 1 trailer for transportation.

This support enabled beekeepers to quickly restore production capacity and lay a solid foundation for honey harvesting already in the current season.

Component 2: Poultry farming development and starter kits

This component was aimed at ensuring families’ immediate access to food products and creating opportunities for self-employment in rural areas.

300 rural households received complete «live» starter kits for poultry farming. Each kit included:

day-old or young chicks;

balanced feed for different growth stages;

professional feeding and watering equipment;

basic veterinary medicines for poultry health protection;

specialized instructional materials on animal care.

To maximize the impact of the provided resources, the project also included an important educational component. To improve household farming efficiency, we organized two specialized online courses: «Self-Employment in Poultry Farming» and «Poultry Farming Startup».

The educational program generated significant interest in the region: more than 650 participants registered for the courses, and over 470 successfully completed the training, passed final assessments, and gained practical skills to improve the productivity of their farms.

This project became an example of an effective and rapid model for restoring livelihoods at the household level, forming the foundation for the overall resilience of the entire Zaporizhzhia region.