Our Village

Project for the development of agriculture in underdeveloped areas

and reconstruction of villages in Serbia

The strategic partnership between Erste Bank and Delta Holding on the Our Village project is entering its sixth year of existence. In the previous period, we supported the villages of Dubočane and Mala Jasikova in the Zaječar district and Bačko Novo Selo in the South Bačka district. The current focus of the project is the village of Ključ, in the Kolubara district. In these villages, we have provided special credit support conditions to the residents within our Social Banking Unit. 

We selflessly shared our knowledge and experience, with a completely different, individual approach to each of the 50 farms, as well as the mentoring and advisory support of our employees, and we are proud to point out that all the hosts improved and expanded their farms, achieved higher incomes, ensured a better, higher quality and carefree life for them and their families. We are also proud of the fact that we purchased equipment for the children's playground in Dubočani, donated furniture for the village clinic and the local community, and collected hundreds of books for the first village library. In addition to helping farmers, we also worked to improve the social and cultural life of the residents of both villages. The renovation of the school in Mala Jasikova after 80 years represented an important step in ensuring that young couples with their children remain in the countryside and on their properties.

During March 2022, the project moved to Vojvodina, to the municipality of Bač and Bačko Novo Selo, where the residents are primarily engaged in farming, fruit growing and livestock. Most of the arable land is under soybeans, and a number of locals grow strawberries, apples, hazelnuts or plums. Several families are engaged in vegetable growing, a few are beekeepers, and one farm also grows medicinal herbs. Several families are also engaged in rural tourism, as the village is visited by many local and foreign tourists, water lovers, fishing, fish specialities and cycling enthusiasts.

Currently, the project Our Village focuses its activities in the village of Ključ, in the municipality of Mionica. The village is recognized as a cattle-breeding area, so the locals are primarily engaged in cattle-breeding. We continue to provide support in order to exchange knowledge about modern agriculture and entrepreneurship with strong financial support. We believe that this approach enables better results and an increase in income from agricultural production, thereby improving the quality of life in the countryside. . 

“Thanks to the Our Village project and cooperation with Delta Holding, we have been able to support more than 60 families in total amount of EUR 300,000. This is one of those projects that we all love and really care about, because we know how important it is to preserve the Serbian countryside and to encourage the locals to stay on their properties. That’s why we are all in Ključ today - to meet and listen to them, to hear their needs, to advise and support them, to help them be more successful. Not only with an interest-free credit line, but also with expert knowledge and our experiences from previous villages," said Jasna Terzić, President of the Executive Committee of Erste Bank.