Agroforestry in Ukraine – policy brief launch
Thank you to all of you that participated and joined us for the launch of the policy brief Seven reasons to invest in agroforestry for post-war reconstruction and reform efforts in Ukraine. The launch was organized by Agroforestry Network in solidarity with Ukraine and in collaboration with Ukrainian actors.
The policy brief highlights seven reasons to invest in agroforestry for post-war reconstruction, green transition and integration of Ukraine into the European union. It also shows ways to improve food security, social cohesion and livelihoods. A range of current needs and recommendations are presented to support the expansion of agroforestry – both to strengthen resilience in this time of war, but also long term, to mitigate and adapt to the climate and biodiversity crises. Ukrainian actors from different sectors have been involved and also suggested ideas for collaboration.
The launch was held at Medelhavsmuseet in Stockholm, April 25th 2024.
Main presenter: Margot Wallström, Co-chairman, President Zelenskyjs’ group for reconstruction in Ukraine
Agenda
09.30 Coffee/tea and sandwich
10.00 Introduction and welcome – Charlotta Szczepanowski, General Secretary of Vi Agroforestry
10.05 Presentation of launch – Moderator Matthew Fielding, Head of Project Communications and Impact, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
10.10 Programme to address the massive environmental damage caused by Russia to Ukraine, Environment and climate – Margot Wallström
10.30 Summarizing the brief – Marine Elbakidze, Co-author of the brief, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Skinnskatteberg / Södertörn University, Stockholm / Ivan Franco National University of Lviv
10.40 Strategy for Sweden’s reconstruction and reform cooperation with Ukraine – Samuel Tunfjord, Desk Officer Eastern Europe and Central Asia Department, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Writer of the Swedish strategy for Sweden´s reconstruction and reform cooperation with Ukraine 2023-2027.
10.50 Questions from the audience
11.00 Panel discussion
11.40 Summary
12.00 Closing
Panelists and speakers
Marine Elbakidze – Associate professor, School for Forest Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Skinnskatteberg / Södertörn University, Stockholm / Ivan Franco National University of Lviv. Marine is co-author of the policy brief. She is also an expert in benefits of agroforestry to human well-being, social-ecological research and how to collaborate and establish networks between research and different stakeholders, nationally and internationally.
Ganna Lobchenko – Associate Professor, Department of Forestry restoration and meliorations, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULES of Ukraine), and Senior Expert Forests, WWF-Ukraine, Kyiv. Ganna is an expert in agroforestry related to forest restoration and close-to-nature forest management.
Maksym Matsala – Postdoc in forest science, Southern Sweden Research Centre in Forest Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Alnarp. Maksym is an expert in natural forest dynamics, forest remote sensing, GIS, ecosystem services and carbon budget estimation,
Svitlana Sydorenko – Senior researcher, Department of reforestation and protective afforestation, Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Forest Melioration (URIFFM), Kharkiv. Svitlana is an expert in protective agroforestry systems, assessment of conditions and efficiency of protective plantations and their ecological and economic functions.
Samuel Tunfjord, Desk Officer Eastern Europe and Central Asia Department, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Writer of the Swedish strategy for Sweden´s reconstruction and reform cooperation with Ukraine 2023-2027.
Bohdan Vykhor – Executive Director, WWF-Ukraine, based in Kyiv. Bohdan holds a PhD in biology with specialization in ecology and is an expert in strategic planning for nature conservation and restoration. He is specializing in integrating nature-based solutions, including agroforestry, into Ukraine’s post-war recovery and reform agenda. Bohdan is also experienced in building partnership across the public sector, governmental institutions, scientists, and businesses. He actively advocates for initiatives to support environmental security in Ukraine.
Organiser:
Agroforestry Network – a platform for international agroforestry practice, based in Sweden. Members of the network are Vi Agroforestry/Vi-skogen, SLU Global – part of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative SIANI, Agroforestry Sweden, the forest, climate and livelihood research network FOCALI, NIRAS Development Consulting, and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, SSNC.
In collaboration with NULES, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv and WWF-Ukraine.
The policy brief in short:
Agroforestry is a multifunctional land-use system that integrates woody vegetation with crops and animal production, which can improve the resilience of yields and livelihoods and contribute significantly to environmental sustainability. This policy brief has been compiled by Agroforestry Network and its partner organizations in solidarity with Ukraine. It highlights seven reasons to invest in agroforestry for post-war recovery, green transition and integration of Ukraine into the European Union.
A range of current needs and recommendations across development perspectives, research, legislative, and networking/dialogue, are also presented to support the expansion of agroforestry – both to strengthen resilience in this time of war, but also long term, to mitigate and adapt to the climate and biodiversity crises. Ukrainian actors from different sectors have been involved, and also suggested ideas for potential bilateral collaboration as well as contact details (the appendix) to actors in the sector of agroforestry in Ukraine and Sweden.
