THE INSTITUTE’S PARTICIPATION IN THE FORUM ‘RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN UKRAINE: 2026’
On 12 May 2026, a presentation was held on the study ‘The State of Rural Development in Ukraine’ – a comprehensive analysis of living conditions, employment, access to services, safety and the attitudes of residents in rural areas of Ukraine. The event was organised by the German-Ukrainian Agri-Policy Dialogue (APD) and the Zmist Policy Analysis Centre. The study covered 1,150 respondents across 23 regions of Ukraine. During the event, participants discussed not only the challenges currently facing Ukrainian communities, but also what Ukraine’s modern rural development policy should look like in the context of European integration and post-war recovery.
In his opening address at the forum, Denys Bashlyk, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, emphasised the importance of shaping rural development policy based on the real needs of communities, factual data and ongoing dialogue with local people. It is precisely this approach that is critically important both in terms of territorial recovery and in terms of Ukraine’s future integration into the European rural development system.
Olga Trofimtseva, Project Manager at APD Ukraine, emphasised that rural areas are no longer merely places where agricultural production is located. They are about people, quality of life, economic opportunities, security, access to services and the ability of communities to remain resilient even in times of crisis.
“If we are talking about European integration, we must discuss not only the agricultural sector’s compliance with EU rules, but also what the quality of life in Ukrainian villages will be like. Because without people, without young people, without women entrepreneurs, without basic infrastructure and the opportunity to earn a living, rural development will remain nothing more than a declaration,” noted Olga TROFIMTSEVA.
Ellina Yurchenko, Director of the Zmist Policy Analysis Centre, emphasised that rural communities need very practical policies that take into account people’s basic needs: roads, jobs, healthcare, security, electricity and water. She also stressed the need to strengthen the role of women in local self-government.
The event was attended by the Director of the Institute of Accounting and Finance at the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, Professor Stanislav Vasylishyn, who took part in the forum’s facilitation session. We are sincerely grateful to the team of the German-Ukrainian Agri-Policy Dialogue (APD) and the Zmist Policy Analysis Centre for the invitation to the research presentation, for the work carried out, and for the opportunity to join the expert discussion on the complex, rather controversial, yet crucial issue of rural development in Ukraine.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/APDUkraine
