Sergey Strok from the town of Biaroza owned a construction firm in Russia. When the COVID-19 outbreak started he closed his business and returned to Belarus. Without business to run Sergei has more free time to do gardening – both for profit and pleasure. Sergey grew up in a family of farmers.

“Parents taught me and my five brothers and sisters to love and respect the land,” says Sergey. “At my land plot, I planted 300 bushes of Canadian blackberries. This is a great opportunity for me to do business and enjoy it.”

The Nikolaychuk family from the small town of Beloozersk has been selling household appliances for many years. Now there is a temporary down time in their business. Andrei and Lyudmila planted 25 bushes of viburnum in their garden. They plan to harvest and process viburnum berries for sale. Businessmen also plan to grow large-fruited rosehip and special types of pumpkins. “I love and respect the land. During the outbreak, this is not only a good emotional relief, but also an opportunity to have a sustainable income in the future,” says Lyudmila Nikolaychuk. “We want to show by our example that at a small plot one can grow seedlings for himself and for sale”.

The heroes of our story received seeds and seedlings from the agri-eco-entrepreneurship support center created in December 2019 in Biaroza district. Thanks to the center, residents of rural areas have now an opportunity to be engaged in agri-eco-entrepreneurship. The center provides all those interested in farming with information on farming practices, as well as with seeds and seedlings. The center also helps farmers with knowledge in marketing and sales. The center has just started its operation. So far, three people have received seedlings and seeds to start their businesses, 10 people have received training in farming. The center also purchased a set of production equipment for collective use for processing agri-eco-raw materials. The center has reached out to people with disabilities offering them jobs in a workshop that sews fabric bags for local eco-products.

People from all walks of life can come to the center: from high school students to senior citizens, from large families and people with disabilities to start-up entrepreneurs. The people are taught innovative technologies, green economy practices, basic business knowledge and financial literacy.

Galina Yaroshchuk, Initiative Coordinator, says that work of the center has an economic and social impact for the region, because it will help create new jobs, increase the number of self-employed in the farming sector.

“We want to create a recognizable brand of eco-products so that the residents feel proud of their region, village and their personal contribution to fostering green economy,” comments Galina. “At any time, even in the time of a crisis and self-isolation, every day we have to move towards our goals.”

The agri-eco-entrepreneurship support center in Biaroza district, Brest region is established within the project “Support to Economic Development at the Local Level in the Republic of Belarus”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Belarus.