Updates on the Situation in Ukraine (May 23, 2025)

Updates on the Situation in Ukraine

A WRRU live update was held on 23 of May to present recent progress and plans.
Watch the full session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_9pDWp-j8o

 Key takeaways:

USAID’s Global Agricultural Impact

It was a cornerstone in advancing global food security, poverty alleviation, and agricultural innovation.

  • Poverty Reduction: Lifted approximately 23.4 mln people above the poverty line.
  • Child Nutrition: Reduced stunting in 3.4 mln children.
  • Food Security: Enabled 5.2 mln families to overcome hunger.
  • Agricultural Financing: Unlocked $6.2 billion for food security initiatives between 2011 and 2022.
  • Agricultural Sales: Generated $28 billion in sales, boosting farmer incomes.
  • Innovation Deployment: Developed and implemented over 1,000 agricultural innovations.

 

Strengthening Ukraine’s Agriculture

USAID launched the Agriculture Resilience Initiative – Ukraine (AGRI-Ukraine) in July 2022.

  • Financial Mobilization: $860M in agricultural support
  • Farmer Support: Helped 14,000+ farmers (≈32% of all registered)
  • Grain & Revenue Impact: 5.5M tones of grain harvested and stored
  • Export Logistics: Investment in Danube ports & land border crossings
  • Infrastructure Expansion: 25 partner silos doubled grain storage; added capacity for 1M tones/year
  • Processing Boost: 20 projects on processing grains, oilseeds, legumes

These efforts have led to a 19% reduction in extreme poverty, 30% decrease in hunger, and 26% decline in child stunting in areas where Feed the Future operates.

Agricultural Educational Institutions

USAID has also focused on strengthening agricultural education in Ukraine through various initiatives:

Training and Capacity Building: over 160 training sessions (both online and offline). More than 4,000 specialists participated.

Support for Specialized Agricultural Education: provided modern laboratories, a training apiary, equipment, and advanced tools.

Partnerships with Agricultural Universities: launched training programs, equipping students with skills in modern precision agriculture technologies. Enhanced the quality of higher education and align curricula with industry needs.

Local Processing Projects

  • Supported 1,200+ micro, small, and medium-sized agribusinesses (MSMEs): $150,000 grant facilitated the purchase of over 1,000 agricultural tools, including mini tractors, hay balers, cultivators, and sowing machines, benefiting 464 agricultural producers.
  • Reconstructed small rural food enterprises to reduce post-harvest losses and add value locally.
  • Distribution of tractors and farming equipment; cold storage and mobile dryers; diesel generators for farms and cooperatives; provided directly to war-affected farms.

Our Track Record (WRRU)

Since April 2022, WRRU has raised over $110,000:

  • Reconstructed two homes and built a bomb shelter for an orphanage in Kyiv oblast.
  • Restored one warehouse and purchased a truck and a tractor for farmers in the liberated areas of Kherson and Kyiv Oblasts.
  • Provided dozens of farmers with essential material and agronomic support.
  • Developed an online educational platform offering over 200 hours of expert-led content.
  • Engaged more than 1,200 agricultural professionals in structured learning programs and practical training.
  • Maintained administrative costs under 10% by operating as a fully volunteer-driven organization.
  • Established a transparent governance model through the WRRU Ambassadors Council.

Field Agricultural Council ‘25

The most comprehensive, scientifically structured, and internationally coordinated agronomic field study ever conducted in Ukraine.

More information: https://www.wrru.org/field-agro-counsil-2025/ 

8 Ukrainian oblasts:

  • Volyn oblast (2 farms)
  • Rivne oblast
  • Zhytomyr oblast
  • Khmelnytskyi oblast
  • Kyiv oblast (war-affected areas)
  • Cherkasy oblast
  • Vinnytsia oblast
  • Kirovohrad oblast
  • Chernihiv oblast
  • Odesa oblast

International experts

The council will:

  • analyze the effectiveness of Ukrainian agribusiness in different regions, under various soil and climate conditions.
  • conduct training on current agronomy topics.
  • recommend new solutions for crop cultivation.
  • coordinate testing of these approaches directly in the fields of host farms.

    Supporting Ag Education in Ukraine

    Confirmed institutional partners receiving results and full access to materials include:

    • Odessa State Agrarian University
    • Tavria State Agrotechnological University
    • Mykolaiv National Agrarian University
    • Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University (HDAEU)
    • National University of Life and Environmental Sciences (NUBiP)
    • Odessa Regional Advisory Service “Center for Rural Development”
    • University Advisory Center NGO

    LASKA Foundation

Agricultural news
May 2025

 

Planting

May 16

Ukrainian agricultural producers have planted 10.99 mln ha with spring crops.

Thus, 4.95 mln ha, or 87% of the projected area of ​​spring grain and legume crops, have already been sown:

  • corn – 3.5 mln ha (87% of the planned area)
  • barley – 743.1 K ha (96%)
  • spring wheat – 215.2 K ha (95%)
  • peas – 210.9 K ha (97%)
  • oats – 158.3 K ha (98%)
  • buckwheat – 21.7 K ha (24%)
  • millet – 25.2 K ha (33%).

    Technical crops have already been sown on an area of 6.04 mln ha(76%):
  • sunflower — 3.9 mln ha (77%);
  • soybean — 1.73 mln ha (72%);
  • sugar beet — 217.1 K ha (99%).

Export: Sea Corridor

  • Processed 6 mln tons of cargo in April 2025.
  • Grain and leguminous crops exports from Ukraine in the 2024/25 MY as of May 16 – 37 mln tons (7.2 mln tons, or 16% less than for the same period last season):

Wheat: 14.5 mln tons (13% less than last year’s volumes).

Barley: 2.29 mln tons (2% less).

Rye: 10.8 K tons (8 times more than last season).

Corn: 19.8 mln tons (20% less).

Flour: 61.9 K tons (31% less).