On October 22-23, 2025, Kyiv hosted the main event for Ukrainian agri-food business leaders — New Food Summit 2025, which traditionally brings together hundreds of innovators, producers, investors, and experts from across the entire “farm-to-table” chain. This year, the summit became a real platform for demonstrating breakthrough solutions in the field of food technology, where the key topic was the transformation of the agri-food industry through knowledge, innovation, and cooperation.
Education as a driver of progress: AgriAcademy among the summit participants
The educational platform AgriAcademy.org attracted particular attention. It is a free online learning platform created on the initiative of the EBRD as part of its food security support program in Ukraine. Its goal is to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainable development of agriculture, which has suffered significant losses due to the war.
The platform’s creation and management (including course development, training tours, etc.) is supported and funded by the EBRD, as well as:
Representatives of the platform took part in the event, talked to summit participants, presented training opportunities and new courses, and shared their vision of how education is becoming a key component of the development of the Ukrainian agricultural sector.
Videos of leading Ukrainian companies and organizations, including AgriAcademy, were shown on screens in the conference areas, which sparked lively interest among participants. Many specialists in the agricultural and food sectors learned about the platform for the first time, which already offers more than three dozen certified courses in Ukrainian, created in collaboration with universities, companies, and industry associations.
AgriAcademy – the platform of the future of agricultural education
The initiative aims to strengthen the competitiveness of Ukrainian agribusiness and provide access to practical knowledge and modern technologies for farmers, students, teachers, advisors, and managers of agricultural companies. The platform covers topics ranging from production and processing to sustainable development, climate adaptation, precision farming, and innovations in animal husbandry.
“Today, education is the best investment in the sustainability and recovery of the Ukrainian agricultural sector. Our task is to make knowledge accessible to everyone who produces food,” said AgriAcademy representatives during informal discussions at the summit.
Breakthrough products as a result of knowledge and innovation
The New Food Summit culminated in the presentation of the “Breakthrough Product of the Year” awards, which were given to the most innovative Ukrainian developments in the field of “food of the future.” This year, the jury recognized:
These examples show how the combination of technology, entrepreneurship, and education is shaping the new face of Ukrainian food.
The AgriAcademy online platform has already become a space that brings together producers, scientists, experts, and students around a common goal: to create sustainable, innovative, and competitive agricultural production. The platform’s participation in the New Food Summit confirmed its role as a catalyst for knowledge and partnership among all participants in the agri-food ecosystem.
Want to develop your agribusiness and get professional certified education for free?
Register for courses at AgriAcademy.org and learn from the best!
On October 17, 2025, ProAgro Group will hold the fourth Ukrainian Livestock Summit (Ukrainian Livestock Summit 2025) in Kyiv, a leading industry platform for discussing current trends and prospects for the development of livestock farming, poultry farming, livestock product processing, and feed production, writes SEEDS.
Among the speakers at the summit will be Oksana Yurchenko, coordinator of animal health and food safety projects at the FAO Investment Center and representative of the educational platform AgriAcademy, who will present an analytical report on “Livestock farming in Ukraine: trends, challenges, and prospects.”
Oksana Yurchenko will present an overview of key trends in the livestock industry, including issues of staff shortages, the transformation of agricultural professions, the sector’s adaptation to the requirements of European integration, and the role of modern informal education in training a new generation of agribusiness specialists.
“Today, the livestock industry is facing a number of serious challenges, one of the key ones being an acute shortage of qualified personnel. Companies are actively looking for specialists, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find them, while a new generation of farmers with a completely different vision and approach to work is entering the market. That is why it is extremely important to integrate distance learning into the daily activities of farms, making it an integral part of the production process. AgriAcademy is an effective tool that will motivate employees and help improve their professional level,” emphasizes Oksana Yurchenko.
During the summit, a promotional video about AgriAcademy will also be shown, highlighting the opportunities offered by certified free online education for farmers. The platform currently offers more than 30 practical courses, created in collaboration with leading universities around the world, companies in the agricultural sector, and industry experts in Ukraine.
Oksana Yurchenko’s presentation is intended not only to assess the state of the livestock sector, but also to show how modern educational initiatives contribute to strengthening the human resources potential of Ukrainian agribusiness in the context of post-war recovery and European integration.
This is a free online learning platform created on the initiative of the EBRD as part of its food security support program in Ukraine. Its goal is to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainable development of agriculture, which has suffered significant losses due to the war.
The platform’s creation and management (including course development, training tours, etc.) is supported and funded by the EBRD, as well as:
AgriAcademy, ANALYTICS, livestock farming, market review, ProAgro Group, Ukrainian Livestock Summit 2025
AgriAcademy, an educational platform for agribusiness professionals, is now accepting registrations for a new course that will help agricultural producers gain up-to-date knowledge about legislative requirements, safe pesticide use, and innovative plant protection technologies, writes SEEDS.
The field of plant protection products is undergoing significant changes, including stricter legislation, safety requirements, new application technologies, and a shift to biological methods. In this environment, Ukrainian agricultural producers must be prepared to adapt to new rules and market expectations.
That is why AgriAcademy is offering a free new certified online course: “Regulation, Safety, and Innovation in the Use of Plant Protection Products” from national and international practitioners and experts.
What will course participants gain?
The approximate duration of the course is 5 hours. After completing the course, you will receive a certificate.
The course program features national and international experts:
Who is this course for?
For farmers, agronomists, consultants, equipment operators – anyone who works with pesticides and wants to reduce risks and increase efficiency.
This is a unique opportunity for Ukrainian farmers to gain knowledge that meets the requirements of the modern market and future regulatory standards. Participation in the course will help you avoid fines, increase the efficiency of your farm, and ensure safe working conditions.
Registration is open on the AgriAcademy website
AgriAcademy is a free online learning platform for agricultural workers and students of agricultural education institutions, launched by the EBRD in December 2022 as part of its food security support program in Ukraine. Its goal is to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainable development of agriculture, which has suffered significant losses due to the war.
Today, the platform offers 28 online courses – over 300 hours of practical training in agronomy, management, technology, processing, storage, and more. Each course includes knowledge testing and certification of participants.
The creation and management of the platform (including course development, training tours, etc.) is supported and funded by the EBRD, as well as:
All certified free courses are available here
AgriAcademy, a professional online education platform for Ukrainian agribusiness, has added two new free courses for farmers, created by experts from the Astarta-Kyiv agro-industrial holding. In June 2025, new training modules dedicated to the biological characteristics of corn and corn cultivation technologies became available on the AgriAcademy platform.
Course 1: “Corn. Biological characteristics of the crop”
The aim of the course is to provide farmers with a systematic understanding of:
Course 2: “Corn. Cultivation technology”
The aim of the course is to develop practical knowledge of agricultural technologies:
Both courses were developed by Pavlo Perkhalo, an experienced agronomist with over 10 years of practice at Astarta. Methodologist Svitlana Semenyuk and interactive materials designer Olga Veiler also contributed to the development of the courses.
Like all educational products on AgriAcademy, the new courses are free, available online at any time, and include a certificate upon successful completion.
As a reminder, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Astarta-Kyiv agricultural holding signed a partnership agreement in 2024 to develop distance learning for Ukrainian farmers.
The partnership provides for the creation of 25 online courses on the cultivation, storage, and processing of field crops.
In addition to the new training modules, previously created courses are also available on the platform: “Sunflower. Biological characteristics” and “Sunflower. Cultivation technology”.
AgriAcademy – training for Ukrainian farmers that is changing the industry
AgriAcademy is a free online training platform for agricultural workers and students of agricultural educational institutions, launched by the EBRD in December 2022 as part of its food security support program in Ukraine.
Its goal is to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainable development of agriculture, which has suffered significant losses due to the war.
Today, the platform offers 25 online courses — 300 hours of practical training in agronomy, management, technology, processing, storage, and more. Each course includes a knowledge test and certification for participants.
The platform is created and managed (including course development, study tours, etc.) with the support and funding of the EBRD, as well as:
We invite farmers to register on the platform and take practical courses at the link: https://agriacademy.org/courses-catalog
Astarta-Kyiv is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding in Ukraine, a public European company that conducts socially responsible business and produces food products for global markets.
The company was founded in 1993 by Viktor Ivanchyk, who remains its majority owner and CEO. Since 2006, Astarta’s shares have been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
Main activities:
At one of the largest agricultural events in the country, the Agro Ukraine Summit in Kyiv, the AgriAcademy.org platform was presented, providing free access to professional education for farmers from all over Ukraine. The initiative was presented at three industry conferences during the summit and attracted considerable interest from industry associations, producers, and processors, according to SEEDS.
“Today’s agribusiness requires quick decisions, relevant practical knowledge, and continuous professional development. That is why I would like to draw your attention to one of the most promising initiatives in the field of professional education for agribusiness – AgriAcademy.org. This is a unique educational platform that brings together the agribusiness community of Ukraine and provides modern, practical knowledge in the form of free online courses developed by the best experts from Ukraine and around the world.
It is designed for professionals in the agricultural sector: business owners, managers, farmers, agronomists, veterinarians, and anyone interested in practical knowledge and increasing profitability,” emphasized Rodion Rybchynsky, Chairman of the Ukrainian Flour Millers Association and UN FAO grain market expert, during a panel discussion on “The transformation of grain processing in the context of European integration.”
“The platform already offers 23 free online courses in Ukrainian, developed with the support of the EBRD. Each course has been created in collaboration with leading Ukrainian and international experts, with a focus on practical benefits for business,” said Rodion Rybchynskyi.
AgriAcademy was also presented at the conferences ‘Futurology of Grain Storage’ and ‘Effective Livestock and Poultry Farming,’ which allowed it to reach a wide audience. Each conference was attended by 70 to 150 participants, and a QR code with direct access to AgriAcademy was displayed on the screen every 15 minutes in the Summit exhibition area.
Among the speakers who presented the platform was Oleksandra Bondarska, Vice President of the Ukrainian Pig Breeders Association.
“AgriAcademy offers over 300 hours of training. After completing the course, participants receive an official certificate. It is a tool for the real development of agricultural entrepreneurs,” said Oleksandra Bondarska, speaking to an audience of livestock and poultry farmers.
“The platform offers a course entitled African swine fever – everything a business needs to know. The course covers all aspects of African swine fever (ASF) that need to be known, from risk factors and main routes of transmission to effective prevention and response measures. Participants will learn how the disease develops on an infected farm (experience of affected enterprises), how to reduce risks for their farm, and protocols for action in case of suspicion and after the outbreak has been eliminated,” the expert added.
Oleksandra also advised producers to take the Basics of Pig Health course available on the platform. The course covers issues of animal health support and control throughout the entire production cycle in terms of technological and age groups of pigs and types of diseases, and also includes information on quarantine and the development of herd health monitoring and vaccination programs.
The AgriAcademy platform was also presented by Sviatoslav Tkachenko, member of the board of the Ukrainian Elevator Association, during the conference “Futurology of Grain Storage” to an audience of grain producers, processors, and exporters.
“AgriAcademy offers practical courses in agronomy, irrigation, processing, technology, berry growing, animal husbandry, crop production, veterinary medicine, and ecology:https://agriacademy.org/courses-catalog/
This spring, two courses from specialists at the Astarta-Kyiv agro-industrial holding have been added: Sunflower. Growing Technology and Sunflower. Biological Characteristics of the Crop,” said Sviatoslav Tkachenko.
You can join the free training now at AgriAcademy.org
The courses are designed with the practical needs of the industry in mind and are taught in Ukrainian, ensuring convenience, accessibility, and high learning efficiency. Grow your business with AgriAcademy, your reliable partner in innovation and efficiency improvement!
Source: https://www.seeds.org.ua/
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the agricultural holding company Astarta-Kyiv have agreed to cooperate in the development of distance learning for Ukrainian farmers. Astarta experts will share their knowledge and practical expertise in the form of short interactive online courses, which will be available on the AgriAcademy platform, writes SEEDS.
As part of the cooperation, 25 courses are planned to be developed with a focus on the cultivation, storage, and processing of field crops.
The first two courses, “Sunflower. Biological Characteristics” and “Sunflower. Cultivation Technology”, are already available on the platform.
Andriy Balashov, Head of Professional Development at Astarta: “Staff recruitment is a challenge for all Ukrainian businesses today, and we are no exception. People remain a key source of knowledge, but modern conditions require new approaches to the preservation and transfer of information. That is why we have implemented an internal online training system for mandatory training and professional development of employees. We are now ready to share these developments to support the development of the Ukrainian agricultural sector.”
In recent years, Ukrainian agricultural enterprises have faced an acute shortage of specialists, which significantly affects the competitiveness of the entire sector. The issue of high-quality and accessible professional education is currently extremely relevant, and the AgriAcademy platform was created specifically to provide free access to knowledge in the agricultural sector.
Vasyl Govhera, Lead Corporate Advisory Expert at the EBRD: “We are grateful to our partners, Astarta-Kyiv, for their openness and for allowing us to draw on the experience of professionals with years of practical experience in developing training materials. We are confident that our joint educational initiative will help more people improve their knowledge in the agricultural sector.”
AgriAcademy is a free online training platform for agricultural workers and students of agricultural educational institutions, which was launched by the EBRD in December 2022 as part of its food security support program in Ukraine. The platform aims to increase the competitiveness and sustainability of a critically important sector of the Ukrainian economy, which has been significantly affected by the Russian invasion.
All lectures, training materials, and online courses from leading experts and foreign universities on AgriAcademy are available in Ukrainian. Currently, 23 courses are published on the platform. This is almost 300 hours of training covering a wide range of knowledge for both beginners and professionals. Each course includes a knowledge test, and based on the test results, students receive certificates of successful completion.
The creation and management of the platform (including course development, training tours, etc.) is supported and funded by the EBRD, as well as:
