Business news from Ukraine

AgriAcademy, a professional online course platform for agribusiness, announces the launch of a new free online course, ‘Biosecurity for Hunting Farms’, developed by experts from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in response to one of the most serious threats to livestock and food security – African swine fever (ASF).

African swine fever remains one of the key biological risks for Ukraine. The virus is highly resistant in the environment and circulates continuously among wild boar populations, posing a constant threat to domestic livestock, hunting farms and related sectors.

That is why FAO experts have developed a specialised training course based on international experience in combating ASF, adapted to Ukrainian realities and wartime conditions.

What the course is about

The course focuses on the practical aspects of biosecurity for hunting farms in Ukraine, using ASF control as an example. It examines in detail the logical and effective sequence of actions applied in EU countries and other regions of the world:

1. stopping the epidemic wave to prevent further spread of the virus;
2. promoting the natural mortality of the virus to reduce the density of the infected population;
3. controlling and reducing the residual population after its collapse to avoid a re-emergence.

Who is this course for

The training is designed for:

• users of hunting grounds;
• employees of the hunting and forestry industries;
• veterinary specialists;
• representatives of local communities and management bodies.

Practical outcome for participants

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• implement biosecurity measures to prevent the spread of ASF;
• develop strategies to contain and eliminate the disease;
• assess the risks of virus spread and organise safe carcass disposal;
• effectively communicate and coordinate actions between hunters, veterinarians and communities.

Training format

The course includes video lectures, analytical materials, practical tools, real-life case studies and a final test. Training is conducted online in a convenient 24/7 mode.

Course author and lecturer

Oleksandr Revnivtsev, FAO international consultant on animal husbandry.

Training on the course is free and open to all registered users of the AgriAcademy platform.

Participants can study the materials online at their convenience, without time restrictions, and after successfully completing the final test, they will receive a certificate.

As a reminder, AgriAcademy – is a free online learning platform created on the initiative of the EBRD as part of its food security support programme in Ukraine. Its goal is to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainable development of agriculture, which has suffered significant losses due to the war.

The creation and management of the platform (including the development of courses, training tours, etc.) is carried out with the support and funding of the EBRD, as well as:

• The EBRD’s Multilateral Donor Account for Stabilisation and Sustainable Growth in Ukraine (donors: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union as the largest donor);
• The Republic of Ireland through the EBRD Small Business Promotion Fund (other donors to the fund: Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Taipei China and the United States);
• The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

The AgriAcademy website currently offers over 30 free online courses for Ukrainian agribusiness professionals. Register and take courses at your convenience!