Exploring organic farming’s potential in Ukraine

As part of our work in Ukraine, Dr. Yurii Zalavskyi, from the National Scientific Centre Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry, (Kharkiv) travelled to the University of Kassel to use the land-use model LandSHIFT to assess risks, co-benefits and trade-offs for different LMTs in Ukraine. This research forms part both of LANDMARC and also the MSC4Ukraine programme (under the EU’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, personal grant Dr. Natalia Prozorova).

Applying this spatial simulation model will help us better understand the potential for organic farming in Ukraine. We’re interested in exploring this because ramping up organic farming practices looks like it might be a good way to restore Ukraine’s famously fertile soils, many of which have been badly degraded by the ongoing war. Restoring these soils is essential not only for offsetting greenhouse gas emissions but also because of the crucial role Ukraine’s agriculture sector plays in  global food security.

This visit allowed Yurii to work closely with several LANDMARC researchers based at the University of Kassel, including, Prof Rüdiger Schaldach, Ellen Kynast, Dr. Janina Onigkeit, and Florian Wimmer.