Agri-industrial holding Astarta-Kyiv, together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), has successfully completed a project to develop distance education for Ukraine’s agricultural sector, launched in April 2025, Astarta-Kyiv reports.

„The cooperation between Astarta and AgriAcademy has grown into a full-fledged platform for building a modern learning culture in agribusiness. By sharing practical experience and expertise and working together, we turned knowledge into effective tools for our employees’ growth and for raising professional skill across the sector. For Astarta, education is an important part of strategy — it helps develop human capital, build the talent pool in agriculture and strengthen the economy. In times of uncertainty, it is precisely the ability to learn fast, acquire new competencies and adapt that determines the resilience and effectiveness of business, communities and the country as a whole. We are convinced that developing and multiplying Ukrainians’ potential is a strategic investment in the future of the company, the agricultural sector and Ukraine,“ — Svitlana Mozghova, Director of the HR, Corporate Partnership and Communications Department.

Under the cooperation, 25 online training courses were developed as interactive presentations focused on the practical knowledge farm-company employees need. The courses draw on the expertise and long experience of Astarta-Kyiv specialists. All materials are already published on the AgriAcademy platform and are available to study completely free of charge.

Full list of the courses developed:

1. Sunflower. Biological features of the crop

2. Sunflower. Cultivation technology

3. Sunflower. Crop protection

4. Corn. Biological features of the crop

5. Corn. Cultivation technology

6. Winter rapeseed. Biological features of the crop

7. Winter rapeseed. Cultivation technology

8. Sugar beet. Biological features of the crop

9. Sugar beet. Cultivation technology

10. Sugar beet. Crop protection

11. Sugar beet. Raw-material quality

12. Peas. Biological features of the crop

13. Peas. Cultivation technology

14. Soybean. Biological features and cultivation technology

15. Soybean. Grain quality assessment

16. Wheat. Biological features of the crop

17. Winter wheat. Cultivation technology

18. Wheat. Grain quality assessment

19. How a grain elevator works

20. Sugar-plant laboratory

21. Measuring sugar moisture content

22. Measuring the colour and turbidity of a sugar solution

23. Determining insoluble matter in white sugar

24. FENDT 900 Vario Gen7 tractor

25. John Deere DB37 precision planter

Background

AgriAcademy is a free online-learning platform for agri-sector workers and students of agricultural education institutions, launched by the EBRD in December 2022 under a program supporting food security in Ukraine. Its goal is to raise the competitiveness and sustainability of a critically important part of Ukraine’s economy that has been badly hit by the Russian invasion.

All lectures, materials, and online courses — from leading specialists and foreign universities — are available in Ukrainian. The platform currently hosts 56 courses: 425 study hours spanning a wide range of knowledge for beginners and professionals alike. Each course includes a knowledge test, and students who pass receive certificates of completion.

The platform’s creation and management (including course development, study tours and more) is supported and funded by the EBRD, as well as:

  • The EBRD Multi-Donor Account for Ukraine’s Stabilisation and Sustainable Growth (donors: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union as the largest donor).
  • The Republic of Ireland via the EBRD Small Business Impact Fund (other fund donors: Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Chinese Taipei and the United States).
  • The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Source: Astarta-Kyiv