NUBiP of Ukraine and Swedish partners: SIDA has officially signed a joint project to support the agricultural sector
On August 13, 2026, the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) officially signed the project «Economic development through agriculture in Ukraine.» The initiative will be implemented jointly with the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP of Ukraine) by Swedish partners — the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), the Swedish veterinary agency (SVA) and the Swedish Council for agriculture (SJV).
A prerequisite for the development of the project was the meeting in 2025 of the rector of NUBIP of Ukraine Vadym TKACHUK and vice-rectors of SLU Maria KNUTSON-WEDEL, during which the parties discussed prospects for deepening cooperation between universities.
Forum of rectors and deans of ICA, BOKU (Vienna, Austria), October 16, 2025
The joint application was initiated by the head of SLU Global Sarah GRÄSLUND from the Swedish side and vice-rector for scientific and pedagogical work and international activities of NUBIP of Ukraine Oleksandr LABENKO.
The aim of the project is to promote the economic development of the agricultural sector of Ukraine by strengthening the capacity for sustainable, efficient and consistent agricultural production with EU requirements. The main focus is on small and medium-sized farms, which play a key role in rural employment and food security, while remaining one of the most vulnerable groups in the agricultural sector. Support includes access to state-of-the-art technologies and innovations, advisory services, and better integration into value chains.
At the current design stage, which will last from the third quarter of 2026 to the end of 2027, the partners will conduct mapping and involvement of stakeholders, analyze the needs of the agricultural sector, and develop two pilot training programs — on animal husbandry («Healthy livestock — safe food, animal husbandry in accordance with EU requirements») and crop production («Phytosanitary in crop production in accordance with EU requirements»). Based on the results of this work, a full-fledged long-term proposal for cooperation between the agricultural sectors of Ukraine and Sweden will be prepared. The budget of the design stage is more than 3.1 million Swedish krona.
On the part of SLU, the project is coordinated by a researcher at SLU Global Katarina BÖRLING. On the Ukrainian side, the project is coordinated by the vice-rector for scientific and pedagogical work and international activities Oleksandr LABENKO and associate professor of the department of administrative management and foreign economic activity Oleksandra RALKO.
The working group for animal husbandry is managed by Emelie PETTERSSON, Swedish veterinary agency (SVA), Bengt JOHNSSON, the Swedish Agricultural Council (SJV), provides expert support on setting up exports to EU countries — it should be like this, this is at the end, he will not manage the package.
The initiative was supported by the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine: in a letter of support, the deputy minister Taras VYSOTSKY stressed the importance of modernizing the agricultural sector and bringing production practices closer to EU requirements, especially in a full-scale war.
Despite the trials of war, this cooperation is a strong indication that knowledge, trust and joint work can turn the challenges of today into a solid foundation for tomorrow's prosperity.