In Ukraine, it is currently particularly challenging to establish value chains. This does not deter organic farmers. They produce organic products for the domestic market. This is made possible by an organic certificate and support from Germany.

Article in the Bioland magazine, issue 05/2024
Author: Eileen Nicolai

Organic farmers in Ukraine are not letting the war get them down. The more than 400 organic farms in Ukraine are certified in accordance with the EU regulation on organic farming. Since August 2023, farms have also been able to obtain certification in accordance with a separate Ukrainian law on organic farming. Around 180 farmers have now received a certificate. The Ukrainian government has even developed its own organic logo for this purpose. The fact that organic farming is becoming more widespread in the country and the proportion of organically farmed land is increasing is supported by the government. The Ukrainian Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food registers all companies and farms that are certified in accordance with its own new organic farming law in a database.

Financial support for certification and the expansion of organic farming also comes from Germany. The German-Ukrainian project "Cooperation in Organic Agriculture" (COA) has set itself the goal of supporting the Ukrainian government in implementing its organic farming law. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). Partners of the COA project in supporting Ukrainian organic farms are various organic organisations in Ukraine, such as the Organic Federation of Ukraine (OFU), Organic Ukraine (OU), Organic Initiative and Biodynamika Ukraina.

Promotion in all areas

In December 2023, the project successfully completed a campaign to finance Ukrainian organic certification in collaboration with OFU. 75 small and medium-sized Ukrainian organic farms received compensation for the costs of organic certification. These were, for example, Ukrainian organic farmers who practise agriculture, livestock farming or beekeeping and want to sell their products on the domestic Ukrainian market.

"We are very pleased that organic producers have been able to be certified in accordance with Ukrainian organic law since August last year," says Dr Stefan Dreesmann, head of the German-Ukrainian project. "We are also pleased that we have been able to support so many companies and farmers in obtaining the certificate so quickly in this difficult situation."

Continued support needed

The certification opens up new opportunities for organic farmers, even beyond direct marketing. "I want to raise awareness of healthy organic food among the wider Ukrainian population and get more farmers involved in organic production," says organic farmer Olena Lykhorod. The Ukrainian farmers who have already received a certificate are convinced by the organic concept.

"For me personally, organic production is a state of mind and a way of life that may not be easy, but I wouldn't consider anything else, because first and foremost, organic food production is my contribution to my future and the future of our planet," says organic farmer Vadym Chykalo. Support is still needed to continue expanding organic farming in the future. Organic farmer Serhii Gulko says: "We need political measures for the transition from conventional to organic farming. This also requires support for researchers who want to improve organic farming methods."

In order to achieve this, the existing structures must be built upon in the future to create an expanded infrastructure for production, logistics and marketing in Ukraine. These are important links in a value chain that is particularly challenging to develop in times of war. However, the Ukrainian organic farmers are not losing heart and remain confident.

German-Ukrainian partnership - The project

"German-Ukrainian Cooperation in Organic Agriculture (COA)" is helping the Ukrainian government to implement the law on organic farming. The project staff also support Ukrainian authorities in training staff in the relevant authorities. The project has also developed a digital knowledge platform for organic farming in Ukraine and supports organisations in the transfer of knowledge. Articles from the bioland-magazine have also been translated into Ukrainian for this knowledge platform. In addition, Ukrainian organic organisations are supported in their activities and, since the beginning of Russia's war of aggression, organic farms have been helped with targeted aid campaigns. The overall aim of this package is to strengthen the Ukrainian organic farming sector and improve the marketing of products. The project is currently scheduled to run until August 2025.