Impetus for rural development: study tour to Germany strengthens German-Ukrainian cooperation
Last Friday saw the end of a week-long study tour to Germany, which brought together the German-Ukrainian Agricultural Policy Dialogue (APD Ukraine) and German-Ukrainian Cooperation in Organic Agriculture (COA) projects funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Home Affairs (BMLEH).
Both projects are being implemented by IAK Agrar Consulting GmbH – in the case of APD Ukraine as lead partner together with GOPA AFC GmbH and the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), and in the case of the COA project as junior partner in the consortium under the leadership of GOPA-AFC. The organization of the trip was kindly supported by Dr. Stefan Dreesmann, team leader of the COA project.
The study tour from Jun 14-21, 2025, aimed to gain practical insights into rural development policy using the example of the German federal state of Lower Saxony and to derive concrete ideas for further implementation in Ukraine.
The 18-strong delegation included representatives from the Ukrainian Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food and the five APD Ukraine pilot regions of Poltava, Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv and Vinnytsia. The group was accompanied by Mariya Yaroshko, team leader of APD Ukraine, and Dr. Dreesmann, as well as members of the APD Ukraine project team.
Program highlights
Berlin
At the BMLEH, Sebastian Graf von Keyserlingk paid tribute to the many years of cooperation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture. Stephan Framke, the new advisor for international projects, discussed current challenges in the pilot communities with the delegation – between the conflicting priorities of reconstruction, decentralization and EU rapprochement.
The presentations by Dr. Dominik Ganser on the European Agricultural Fund EAFRD and Stefan Kämper (DVS) on the importance of the EU funding program for regional development EAFRD and the role of municipalities in regional development processes provided expert input.
In the afternoon, the German Farmers' Association presented its perspectives on rural development – especially on diversification and representation of interests in structurally weak regions.
Braunschweig and Hanover
At the Thünen Institute, Prof. Dr. Christian Hundt presented economic trends in rural areas. Other contributions focused on the German GAP strategic plan and research findings on the impact of LEADER. Practical examples such as the mobile cider farm “Heidemost” and the EU-funded farm café “Landleben” showed how funding is used in practice.
At the Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Andrea Wälzholz and Antje Schlüter provided information on state strategies for rural development. Topics included participation procedures and village development programs.
LEADER region “Peiner Land”
During the visit to the “Peiner Land” LEADER region in Lower Saxony, the delegation gained an insight into several projects – including a village store, an inclusive playground and an exhibition on the “Miracle of Lengede”. The Local Action Group (LAG) presented decision-making processes and cooperation structures. Intensive discussions with project promoters and regional management stakeholders identified approaches that can be transferred to Ukrainian municipalities.
Halle (Saale)
At the end of the trip, the delegation took part in the IAMO Forum 2025. A panel discussion with APD Ukraine focused on the question of how decentralization can contribute to the economic resilience of rural regions in Ukraine during the war.
Results and outlook
- Noticeably strengthened networking between Ukrainian municipalities, German specialist institutions and LEADER stakeholders
- Practical insights into funding mechanisms and the role of LAGs in participatory regional development
- Concrete approaches for modular funding programs, strategic involvement of partners and project evaluation in Ukraine
- Valuable impulses for Ukrainian rural development policy and bilateral cooperation with Germany