Ukrainian farms eligible for funding through United Nation's International Fund for Agricultural Development

Small farms in Ukraine will be eligible for funding through the United Nations' International Fund for Agricultural Development. The small farms play a big role in feeding the country.

Farmers in the western provinces, where many people have fled to escape fighting in the east, "will require support to meet the increased demand for food,’’ the organization said.

The farms are also an important source of income for an estimated 13 million Ukrainians living in rural areas, as poverty and malnutrition are becoming more widespread, IFAD said. According to a recent report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, many people living in rural areas are on the brink of poverty, with 44% living below subsistence levels and 7% suffering malnutrition.