Seed production system in Ukraine: Trends, challenges, and threats

Abstract

The development of an effective seed production system in Ukraine is conditioned both by its key role in ensuring seed, food, and national security of the country and by the emergence of new challenges and threats that affect the functioning of the system and need to be countered to eliminate or mitigate their negative impact. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current trends in the functioning of the Ukrainian seed production system and to identify new challenges and threats to national interests. The methodological framework of this study included the dialectical method of scientific cognition, which was used to establish the relationship between the object of study, which is the seed production system of Ukraine, and events and phenomena occurring in nature and society that have a substantial impact on the object of the study. The methods of analysis and synthesis, systematic generalisation, and comparative analysis were also used. The study analysed the conditions of functioning of the breeding and seed production system in Ukraine and identified current trends that characterise its internal state. The study identified challenges and threats to the national seed production system that pose a threat to the seed, food, and national security of Ukraine. The study analysed destructive processes in the functioning of the national seed production system, which can lead to its degradation and destruction. Measures to overcome the consequences of the negative factors in the system of breeding and seed production in Ukraine were substantiated. The study scientifically substantiated the principal criteria for the development of an effective national seed production system. The study provided a reasoning for the need for long-term investment in breeding activities and identified priority areas of state support for the seed production system in Ukraine. The conclusions, proposals, and practical recommendations are of practical importance and can be used in the development of relevant programmes and measures aimed at supporting the development of seed production, specifically, breeding activities in Ukraine, and ensuring fair remuneration to breeders who are the authors of new productive crop varieties