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Dissemination of Experience and Knowledge and Co-ordination of Efforts for Sustainable Rural Development in Ukraine

Primavera is a non-profit organisation (NGO) created to disseminate information and to increase the professional awareness of various target groups of stakeholders on national and local levels in the sphere of agricultural transformations, sustainable rural development, new market economy and ecologically safe management of natural resources.

Its main mission will consist of accumulation, development and distribution of new knowledge and innovative technologies in land and water management practice. Profit of agricultural production, ecological sustainability and well being of the rural population are the basic goals of the organisation. To reach these goals “Primavera” makes use of national and international experiences, creates, favourable conditions for the creation of new ideas and tools for their implementation.

Main objectives

The main objectives of the organisation consist of the following:

• Development of pilot projects and use of the outcomes to influence policy makers and other stakeholders. Thus, they will receive information on modern methods of integrated water and land management under the condition of land privatisation and economical reforms in agriculture. Our credo is the use of an integrated approach taking into account technical, technological, organisational, and legal conditions, which are conform with up-to-date ecological and socially relevant knowledge for the management of natural resources and the improvement of agricultural infrastructures.


• Supply of information on modern scientific research methods and tools for its members and the public


• Facilitation of policy making and strategy development to support the transformation process especially in irrigation and drainage management but also in the ecologically safe development of natural resources


• Motivation of stake or shareholders on local level to participate in decision-making for the maintenance and modernisation of the existing rural infrastructure included irrigation and drainage systems under condition of land reform completion.


• Assistance for policy makers and state organisations in improving the normative and legislative base of land and water management


• Co-ordination of the efforts of scientists, practitioners and stakeholders in general to facilitate reform processes in land and water management


• Attracting private and public investments into water and land management


• Increasing the role of the scientific community and the general public in development of state policy and state programs on land and water management transformation

Primary activity

“Primavera” plans to developed the following activities:

• Implementation of international, regional and local scientific, technical projects and actions with the participation of Ukrainian and foreign experts


• Creation of an information database and information dissemination among members through the Internet and other communication facilities


• Development of a platform for the communication between members of the organisation and all interested participants of managerial processes


• Organisation of dialogues, conferences, seminars, round tables, and training courses


• Propagation of the best agricultural and water management practices and their promotion through exhibitions and publications.

How “Primavera” started and who are the actors ?

The idea to create “Primavera” came up during the close co-operation in the frame of the project WATERMUK. This project was agreed between Dutch and Ukrainian experts of the two organisations ALTERRA (NL) and the Ukrainian Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Land Reclamation (IHELR). Later, other organisations in Ukraine and The Netherlands (irrigation management enterprises, farms, and private consulting firms, regional administrations and others) joined the project. The project ideas were distributed among the public in Ukraine. This led to new ideas for projects and programs for further collaboration. The participation of experts from various sectors (as irrigation and drainage engineers, hydrologists, ecologists, soil scientists, agronomists, economists, sociologists, etc.) has a big importance to solve complicated, complex problems, which have been faced by Ukrainian agriculture. It was recognised that it is necessary to have a more flexible mobile organisation to attract the participation of these disciplines. The status of an international public non-profit organisation, which is foreseen by the Ukrainian legislation, has been chosen, as most suitable for the solution of the above-mentioned problems.

The founders, Ukrainian and Dutch experts, hope to create a powerful union of supporters and enthusiasts to meet the challenges in water resources use and in agriculture. This could promote positive changes in the development of public ideas on a democratic basis.

We propose the membership of our organisation to national and international experts, scientists and experts in the field of water ecology and agriculture, representatives of State scientific institutes, educational institutions, private companies and farmers. Young experts and active women are preferably encouraged to apply for membership and all others sharing our aims and viewing the opportunity to solve problems. We invite also professionals and organisations from abroad being ready to share knowledge and experience. We focus our activities on the territory of Ukraine and the countries of East and Central Europe.

Primavera means spring in Italian, Spanish, and Romanian language and associates the imagination of sowing and hope for a rich harvest.

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