General

The project involves providing an annual revolving working capital facility to Mriya, a leading Ukrainian primary agricultural producer with a proven track record of growing wheat, barley, sugar beet, rapeseed, potatoes, and other crops. The working capital facility will provide financing for inputs needed for agricultural production to produce agricultural commodities for sale to local clients and international traders. In addition to the working capital facility, the project includes a three year loan to help Mriya improve its waste management and realize energy efficiencies.

Objectives

IFC''s financing will contribute to the development of a large-scale modern farming operation which will improve land productivity and have a demonstration impact on other neighboring farms. Mriya''s land and operations are located in Western Ukraine in the Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Chernivtsi and Khmelnitsky regions. These four regions are amongst the poorest regions in the country. Development impact of the project will be as follows: Employment: Mriya''s investment program and the additional permanent and seasonal employment positions created by Mriya will make a significant contribution to the emergence of economic opportunities for the population in the regions that Mriya operates in. In addition to creating new jobs, Mriya is setting new employment standards in the region by providing benefits to its farm workers such food and housing. Environmental and Social Standards: As part of the Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP), Mriya will implement an ESMS to further enhance its environmental and social management. Private Sector Development: Mriya sells its products to a diversified base of final customers and traders. Among them, there currently are about 50 MSME distributors of mainly potatoes and corn, for final sales on the domestic market and 110 trasporters to deliver the grains and crops to the port for export.

General

Central America is one of the most dangerous regions in the world in which to defend human rights, and human rights defenders working in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua face risks to their physical and psychological security and well-being. Land rights and environmental defenders are es-pecially at risk, and form a large share of HRD casualties in the region. This project will therefore protect land rights and environ-mental defenders as they carry out their dangerous work, and will train them in the essential skills they need for their work, such as security and lobbying. Specific objectives (outcomes) of the project are: 1. The resilience and security is enhanced of land and envi-ronmental (W)HRDs from Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicara-gua through the protection and moral support provided through international accompaniment and observation. 2. Land and environmental (W)HRDs from Guatemala, Hondu-ras and Nicaragua develop their capacity to effectively carry out risk analysis and implement security plans and proce-dures; create and implement national and international advo-cacy strategies; and increase their resilience through direct workshops and participation in exchange spaces with other (W)HRDs from the country/region. 3. Authorities in Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica (Nicara-gua) are reminded of their international human rights obliga-tions regarding the security and protection of (W)HRDs, and the specific needs of land and environmental rights defend-ers, and take action to support and protect them.