For Tatiana, the work day begins at 5am. After sharing coffee with her nephew, she heads outside to feed her animals and to check on her seedlings. Soon, the local women who work for her arrive and are greeted with fresh coffee.
Inside the seven greenhouses that Tatiana owns in Moldova, the work is hard — and hot. They’ll work until around noon, then seek shelter from the harsh sun until it lowers around 5pm. Monday through Saturday, Tatiana and her workers hoe the land and pick ripe vegetables like crisp cucumbers, bright peppers, and juicy eggplant.
“My favorite thing is picking. When the fruit is beautiful, big, it’s the most beautiful for me. When I see… the result of the work.”
When the film coverings of two of her greenhouses were damaged by strong winds, Tatiana realized she didn’t have the funds to cover the repairs herself — the year’s harvest wasn’t as profitable. Thankfully, Tatiana had already taken a loan through Kiva for greenhouse film and seeds, and knew she could turn to the Kiva community for support. With the help of 114 Kiva lenders, her $3,400 loan to purchase new film was funded, and her greenhouses repaired.
From teacher to farmer
Tatiana grew up in the formerly Soviet-occupied Chernivtsi region of Ukraine before moving to Moldova, where she earned her diploma in a small town on the Prut river across from Romania. There, she studied Russian and learned to teach.
She first taught in a small town of about ten thousand people, and then in her current home of Ungheni, where she moved to be closer to her sister.
“When I came to the village, the principal of the school told me that the one who drinks water from the village, stays here. That's how it was, I stayed here.”
During her first year of teaching, she met her husband, Andrei, and began her move into agriculture. For three years, she and her husband grew radishes in open fields before they built two greenhouses for tomatoes and cucumbers in 1996.
“He taught me everything,” Tatiana says of her husband. Before meeting him, Tatiana had never worked in a greenhouse. “The tradition is from my husband… his parents had greenhouses when he was little. And so it was with him, all this tradition in his blood,” says Tatiana. “In [Ukraine] they deal with animals more. When I came here and saw [the greenhouses], I didn’t know where to start.”
Tatiana’s love for her husband soon blossomed into a love of farming — but she was still teaching, meaning her days were long. “I got up at five o’clock, walked and plowed. At eight o’clock, I would come home, get dressed quickly, go to school, and in the evening, I would go and help him.”
Then, Andrei passed away, leaving Tatiana and their two sons the land and the greenhouses.
A challenging loss
When they approved my loan, I was very happy. Because if I didn’t have the film, I’d lose everything.”
Life was difficult without Andrei by her side — but Tatiana was determined to stay strong so she could support her sons. She continued working in the greenhouses to repay loans the couple had previously taken out.
Until those greenhouses were damaged. “It was a big wind, it broke all the films and I didn’t know where to get it and what to do,” recalls Tatiana.
Between the loss of her husband and the damage, friends didn’t understand why Tatiana stayed. “I couldn't leave... he left us all this,“ she explains. “I fell in love with [agriculture] so much and I couldn’t leave her now.”
After talking with a woman from a nearby commune, she decided to look into a Kiva loan. OCN Prima Finantare, a Kiva Lending Partner that offers loans for rural populations in Moldova, was able to provide Tatiana with the funds needed to fix her greenhouses and start producing again.
“When they approved my loan, I was very happy. Because if I didn’t have the film, I’d lose everything,” says Tatiana.
Maintaining family traditions
Now, all seven of Tatiana’s greenhouses are functional, and her sons are continuing the family legacy.
For her son Gabriel, seven greenhouses aren’t enough. He dreams of having a big European greenhouse and promises to help his mother make it a reality. Tatiana says the boys inspire her more than anyone, consistently motivating her and telling her to “hold on and go forward” when things get hard. It’s a saying she often comes back to.
Like her son, Tatiana also wants to expand. Two additional greenhouses might be in the family’s future, if she gets her wish. “We are going forward. Maybe we’ll put some berries in there,” she muses. “We don't stop — we go.”
“Everything is good and beautiful”
And onward she goes. Every morning, Tatiana wakes and goes to the gardens, wishing the peppers and cucumbers good morning, talking sweetly to them, asking if they’ve grown. Her dedication and love for what she grows — and for the life she’s cultivated — is obvious. “Like… little children, that’s how I talk to them. I can’t leave now. I can’t even think of such a thing.”
Her nephew talks to the plants as well, trailing behind her around the greenhouses. And when the vegetables are ready, Tatiana lovingly prepares them for what’s next. “You have grown, we have to pick you.”
Despite the loss of her husband, the long days, and the challenges of farm life, Tatiana maintains a positive outlook. “Why get tired? I never get tired. Everything is good and beautiful.”
