Under Bullets and Sun: How Ukrainian Gardens Are Changing Despite the War
Kyiv • UNN
In Ukraine, despite the war, niche cultures are emerging, such as alpine strawberries. Climate change is affecting cultivation and expanding the geography of crops.
Despite the war, more niche crops have begun to appear in Ukraine, which were previously impossible to imagine in Ukrainian gardens. For example, alpine strawberries, hazelnuts and actinidia. Climate change played a major role in this. Entrepreneurs process and export their products, opening up more and more sales markets. How the horticulture market lives in Ukraine in the conditions of war,UNN was told by the head of the public union "Association of Gardeners, Winegrowers and Winemakers of Ukraine" Volodymyr Pechko.
What crops were typical for certain regions before the war, and now "moved"
Pechko explained that the relocation of large enterprises involved in the strategic cultivation of certain crops in Ukraine is quite energy- and financially costly. Therefore, there is no such global trend in Ukraine. There are isolated cases.
"If we talk about strategic cultivation, that is, about perennial crops, then you just don't move like that. The entrepreneur has to find a plot of land that is sufficient, buy it, that is, invest. And this is also a risk," he said.
"As far as I know, "Gardens of Donbass" were affected by the war and they moved. They started growing rose hips in the Dnipropetrovsk region," added Pechko.
Also, Volodymyr Serhiyovych noted that not all "relocations" are related to the war. Some of them are due to climatic features or the expansion of geography for certain crops. For example, cherries and blackberries began to be grown in Vinnytsia region, and grapes and in general - throughout Ukraine.
Cherries, blackberries and grapes began to be planted in different regions. The geography of cultivation began to shift to the north-western regions. Cherry orchards and blackberries are being planted in Vinnytsia. Winemaking began to develop in almost all regions. Although it used to be more typical for the south, because there are no early frosts there, but now the climate is changing
Niche crops that appear in Ukraine
Niche crops are those that are in demand in the market, but their production volume is insignificant. According to Pechko, there are not so many niche crops that entrepreneurs grow for sale, but they do exist. And this industry is in the process of development, because in order to start growing on an industrial scale, it takes time to test the risks and profitability of such a business.
This is, for example, alpine strawberry, a small strawberry. Its cultivation has recently begun, precisely as a business. But there are still few of them, about 15-20 hectares in Ukraine, if we talk about industrial harvesting, not about wild berries
Also, according to him, it is possible to separate sea buckthorn, which was not previously grown on an industrial scale, and almonds.
"Sea buckthorn is being diversified, teas, various jams and juices are made from it, and so on. Almonds have also started to be grown in the south of Odesa region. I know enterprises that have 80-90 hectares of almonds, but I will not talk about their success and profitability. For me, this culture is, let's say, adventurous, risky," says Volodymyr Serhiyovych.
Pechko notes that in addition to growing directly in gardens, Ukraine is actively developing the cultivation of berries in greenhouses in order to obtain the highest possible profit.
If we talk about the period of the war, then in Ukraine now the same greenhouses, greenhouses, in which berries are also grown, have begun to actively develop. In order to get an early berry and sell it at the highest possible price
Also, according to him, the cultivation of hazelnuts is currently actively developing in Ukraine and such enterprises are creating diversification.
Impact of climate change
Pechko noted that climate change certainly affects the difficulties faced by entrepreneurs who grow certain crops in Ukraine. In particular, "global warming" is noticeably reflected in the cost of growing horticultural crops. Although it also provides an opportunity to grow some crops in those regions that were previously not typical for them.
Despite the fact that we can grow some new crops in some regions. I still think the trend with global warming is negative. A lot of crops are grown in the south and the problem with irrigation has not been solved
"If you don't give moisture in time even to grapes, which, as they say, must be suffered, they will simply dry out and there will be no grapes there. Not to mention grain crops," he adds.
Another problem associated with climate change is the spread of new diseases, pests and plants that are traditionally considered weeds in horticulture. For example, Syrian cottonwood, which comes from North America. This is a very malicious weed that cannot be destroyed either chemically or mechanically, thanks to which it reproduces quickly, which poses a serious threat to Ukrainian fields.
"It reproduces very quickly. Where there was one plant, there are already 10, and next year it will be very difficult to remove it, almost impossible. Everything must be cut out with the roots," says Volodymyr.
Pechko also noted that despite the fact that winters in Ukraine have become milder, there have been problems with late frosts in April and May, which can kill some temperature-sensitive species of crops.
However, according to Pechko, there are also positive consequences of climate change, such as the lack of need to cover plants for the winter or the cultivation of exotic crops.
"A lot of enterprises say: in the Kyiv region, they used to cover the grapes because they were afraid that they would freeze, and now they say: "And I don't cover them anymore." And covering is an additional cost and so on," the expert noted.
Regarding how climate change has affected the possibility of growing exotic plants in Ukraine, Pechko replied that business cannot always quickly adapt to new weather conditions. "It is necessary to investigate whether we can lay down, whether we can plant such and such crops. And simply investing money in such experiments is quite risky," he said.
However, there are entrepreneurs who have started growing a fruit similar to kiwi - actinidia - in Ukraine. "We have actinidia growing in Ukraine, it's a small kiwi. And by the way, there is an enterprise in the Odesa region that has about 20 hectares of this fruit, and in 2019 it was the largest actinidia plantation in Europe. They export it. Very tasty," said Volodymyr.
Diversification of production
Pechko notes that Ukrainian enterprises have learned to export their products well, so they are now interested in extending their shelf life, thereby expanding sales markets. "We are forced to diversify and look for new sales markets. And to perform not only with fresh products, but also with processed ones. Therefore, there is such a trend in Ukraine now," says Pechko.
According to him, in 2020 and 2021, the state maximally supported processing. Then a large number of new products for Ukraine began to appear. In particular, direct extraction juices and sublimation drying, for example, apple chips.
"Some enterprises did not have time to produce their products. They dry it and it has already flown to distributors, and it is immediately taken apart. We did not expect such a demand for this new type of product, but such a trend has appeared," says Volodymyr.
