The reduction in irrigated land, the destruction of irrigation infrastructure, and climate change are threatening the future of agricultural production in Ukraine.

This was stated by Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Agri Council Mykhailo Sokolov, during the speech at the discussion platform “EU Water Sustainability Strategy: How Does It Affect Ukrainian Farmers?”

The situation with water supply for agricultural production is critical, with virtually no irrigation.

"The first thing to understand is that European experience cannot be directly transferred to Ukrainian conditions. We do not have a problem with over-irrigation — we irrigate too little. If you look at the statistics, during the Soviet era we had 2.3 million hectares of irrigated land. Before the war, there were only 540,000. And now there are 134,000 hectares left. Compare this with 30–34 million hectares of cultivated land, and it is clear that irrigation is almost non-existent here," said Mykhailo Sokolov.

The problem with Ukraine's agricultural sector is not excessive water use, but a lack of water, which is already negatively affecting crop yields.

According to some climate predictions, by 2050 it will be impossible to grow agricultural products without irrigation on approximately 50% of Ukrainian land, or 14 million hectares. We are already seeing the consequences in Bessarabia of Mykolaiv region, and this year in Kherson region, where about 400,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed and another 1.5 million hectares have been damaged. What should we do in a situation where the climate continues to change and the need for irrigation is growing? Do we have sufficient water resources? This is not only a business issue, but also a matter of global food security, as Ukraine is a leading food exporter," emphasized the Deputy Chairman of the UAC.

Ukrainian farmers are already switching to water-saving technologies on their own, without pressure from the state.

"There are ideas about introducing administrative regulation of crop rotation, following the example of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. But state regulation of crop rotation is the worst thing that could happen. Ukrainian farmers use crop rotation because without it there would be no harvest. In arid regions, farmers themselves are implementing strip-till and no-till soil cultivation technologies to conserve moisture. The market is already driving agricultural production towards resource-efficient practices," emphasized Mykhailo Sokolov.

Ukraine needs a national water supply strategy that includes not only the restoration of irrigation, but also the accumulation and even distribution of water resources throughout the year.

"Due to climate change, we could lose half of our agricultural production. To prevent this from happening, we need a state policy that includes the restoration of irrigation, water storage, and seasonal distribution. The issue is not only the volume of water, but how it is distributed throughout the year. A situation where there is too much water at the beginning of the year and then a drought makes agriculture impossible and worsens people's lives. Without a strategic approach at the state level, no farmer can cope with this on their own. Systemic solutions are needed," concluded the Deputy Chairman of the UAC.