English
Ukrainian 
This post is also available in: Ukrainian
On July 10, 2024, the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine hosted the first roundtable of the PROGRESS Local Partners Coordination Group, co-organised and actively participated by scientists from the Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the NAS of Ukraine. The event brought together representatives of the project consortium, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, as well as national and international organisations, agricultural associations, universities, research and professional institutions.
The regional project Promoting Green Deal Readiness in the Eastern Partnership Countries (PROGRESS) is one of the new initiatives of the Energy and Climate Cluster of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), aimed at mitigating climate change impacts, fostering adaptation, and ensuring sustainable development in Eastern Partnership countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine). Funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), the project will be implemented during 2024–2028. In Ukraine, the project is being implemented by a consortium of organizations, including GIZ, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the NAS of Ukraine.
The Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the NAS of Ukraine has involved many scientists in the PROGRESS project, including staff from the Sub-department of sectoral markets and the Sub-department of energy sector development and projections of the Department of sectoral forecasts and market conjuncture, the Department of forms and methods of management in the agri-food complex and the Department of monetary relations.
Representatives of the Institute’s working group reported on their main activities within the project, on promising climate-resilient practices in the agri-food sector, on standards for good agricultural and environmental conditions, and on current policies and practices in the field of green agricultural finance. According to Oleksandr Diachuk, PhD (Engin.) , the head of the working group from the Institute, a leading researcher of the Sub-department of energy sector development and projections of the Department of sectoral forecasts and market, although today the biggest challenge and threat to our country is a full–scale war, climate change should be put in second place, as it poses significant short– and long–term threats, the negative consequences of which cannot be levelled quickly. Therefore, despite the war, the PROGRESS project is extremely relevant for Ukraine, its farmers, businesses, and citizens. ‘Thanks to the governments of Germany and Ukraine, as well as our partners at various levels, we can spread the best practices and methods of adapting agriculture to the effects of climate change throughout the country,’ Oleksandr Diachuk noted.
Olena Shubravska, Doctor of Economics, professor, head of the Department of forms and methods of management in the agri-food complex of the Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the NAS of Ukraine, noted that adapting agriculture to the negative impact of climate change involves primarily maintaining soil fertility, economical consumption of water resources, and conservation of biodiversity. The EU pays great attention to implementing climate-resilient practices, and their application involves mandatory conditions that are the basis for financing European farmers. It is obvious that such an approach should become a guideline for Ukraine as well. Reorientation to environmentally friendly and climate-resilient agri-food production is one of the key factors in ensuring its long-term sustainability, as well as a significant sign of the Ukrainian agricultural sector’s compliance with the EU’s requirements during integration.
Tamara Ostashko, chief researcher of the Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the NAS of Ukraine, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (NAAS) of Ukraine, referred to the climate-resilient practices of greenhouse fruit and berry growing in the EU, emphasising the feasibility of their implementation in Ukraine. The scientist noted that innovative greenhouse fruit and berry growing practices such as intelligent irrigation systems, aeroponics, use of renewable energy sources for heating, etc. reduce the carbon footprint of greenhouse products, the impact of external climatic conditions and the use of pesticides, and increase the efficiency of water, fertilisers and other resources.
The use of ‘green finance’ simultaneously opens up additional opportunities not only for participation in environmental protection but also for strengthening the competitiveness of the entire economy and individual businesses, indicated Yevhen Bublyk, Doctor of Economics, head of the Department of monetary relations at the Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the NAS of Ukraine. The scientist emphasized that to promote the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adaptation to climate challenges and the requirements of European integration, as well as the prospects for access to vast amounts of relevant funds, the spread of green finance combines the interests of the main participants in the agricultural sector – from government authorities and financial intermediaries to farmers and gardeners.
Other researchers from the Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the NAS of Ukraine also participated in the round table: Vitaliy Venger, Doctor of Economics, head of the Department of sectoral forecasts and market conjuncture; Roman Podoliets, PhD, head of the Sub-department of energy sector development and projections of the Department of the sectoral forecasting and market conditions; Olha Popova, Doctor of Economics, chief researcher of the Department of forms and methods of management in the agri-food complex; Svitlana Brus, PhD, leading researcher of the Department of monetary relations; Volodymyr Olefir, PhD, leading researcher of the Sub-department of sectoral marketsr of the Department of the sectoral forecasting and market conditions; Kateryna Prokopenko, PhD, leading researcher of the Department of forms and methods of management in the agri-food complex; Halyna Trypolska, PhD, leading researcher of the Sub-department of energy sector development and projections of the Department of the sectoral forecasting and market conditions; Yuliia Shapoval, PhD, senior researcher of the Department of monetary relations; Tetiana Saprykyna and Andrii Semeniuk,junior researchers of the Sub-department of energy sector development and projections of the Department of the sectoral forecasting and market conditions; Valentyna Denysenko, leading engineer of scientific and technical information.
Martina Kolb, Program Director of the PROGRESS project, noted that, given Ukraine’s accession negotiations with the EU, the project should support implementing all necessary requirements in the agricultural sector. Stakeholders from various groups are collaborating with the aim of strengthening the resilience and adaptation of the Ukrainian agricultural sector to climate risks.
Representatives of the GIZ Kyiv – project manager Dmytro Berezovsky and project advisor Artem Sadov – delivered a presentation on the historical background, features, and plans for implementing the PROGRESS project. OECD representatives Krzysztof Michalak, Isabella Neuweg, Olga Olson, and Nelly Petkova assessed the state of Ukraine’s agricultural policy in light of climate risks.
The roundtable demonstrated the critical importance of international cooperation and exchange of experience for successfully implementing the European Green Deal in Ukraine and other Eastern Partnership countries.
