EU-supported State Agrarian Registry enters new phase under full Ukrainian Government ownership
The State Agrarian Registry (SAR) has entered a new phase under full national ownership, following the completion of its technical transfer to the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine.
Developed with the support from the European Union (EU), the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the system is now entirely owned by the Government of Ukraine, including all intellectual property rights. This transition strengthens the Government’s capacity to independently administer agricultural support and further advance sectoral reform through a unified and digitally managed system.
“Digital transformation is central to Ukraine’s reform agenda. The State Agrarian Registry demonstrates how technology can improve transparency, simplify procedures and strengthen trust in public support mechanisms. Full state ownership enables us to further integrate SAR into national governance structures and ensure its sustainable development in line with Ukraine’s European integration objectives,” said Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine.
Launched nationwide in August 2022, SAR provides farmers with a single digital entry point to access state and donor-funded support programmes. Through the system, agricultural producers can identify and link their land plots to their farm profile, update data, apply for assistance and receive different types of support in a transparent and traceable manner. Today, SAR serves more than 210 000 registered users, channelling over 80 percent of public agricultural support funds in 2025.
The EU has played a key role in supporting the development and scaling of the Registry as part of its broader assistance to Ukraine’s agricultural reform. With EU funding, the World Bank led the conceptualization, technical design and initial piloting of SAR, providing both strategic policy guidance and hands on technical assistance. FAO subsequently supported SAR’s further modernization, maintenance and operational strengthening in close cooperation with the Government of Ukraine.
“The EU is proud to have supported the State Agrarian Registry (SAR) as a major step in strengthening Ukraine’s agricultural governance and bringing it closer to EU standards. Built and scaled during the war, SAR has earned farmers’ trust, with more than 200 000 already registered. It improves transparency, helps target support where it is most needed, and lays the groundwork for Ukraine’s future alignment with the EU Common Agricultural Policy,” said Katarína Mathernová, Ambassador of the EU to Ukraine.
From the outset of the full-scale war, the State Agrarian Registry demonstrated its operational value as a reliable digital platform for registering applicants, verifying eligibility and facilitating more efficient and close communication between the government, support providers and agricultural producers. At a time when traditional administrative mechanisms were disrupted and rapid assistance was critical, SAR enabled structured, transparent and large-scale support to farmers across the country.
Back in 2022, FAO became the first international organization to use the system to implement emergency assistance programmes for Ukrainian farmers. Since then, FAO has delivered nearly 50 programmes through SAR, supporting vulnerable agrifood producers across different regions of the country.
Beyond programme implementation, FAO also supported the further strengthening of the system itself. With funding from the European Union, FAO contributed to enhancing SAR’s functionality by carrying out technical adjustments, supporting system updates and working directly within the platform to refine eligibility settings, application flows and data verification tools, in close coordination with national counterparts.
“For FAO and other international partners, the State Agrarian Registry has significantly improved how we communicate with farmers and structure support programmes. Instead of fragmented outreach and manual verification, SAR provides a structured digital channel through which support opportunities can be announced, applications submitted and eligibility assessed based on verified data,” said Shakhnoza Muminova, Head of the FAO Office in Ukraine. “For farmers, this means clearer information, simpler procedures and more predictable engagement with both the state and international partners.”
Now under full national ownership, SAR will continue to function as the core digital system for administering agricultural support in Ukraine. The platform already incorporates key elements aligned with the EU Common Agricultural Policy. In parallel, the adoption of framework law on agricultural support has established the legal basis for the future creation of a national Paying Agency and Integrated Administration and Control System.
“Together with the European Union, we will continue supporting the next phase of SAR’s development, including through a new EU-funded trust fund designed to strengthen the system’s technical capacity and institutional foundations under Government leadership,” Bob Saum, World Bank Regional Country Director for Eastern Europe.
Continued modernization, technical strengthening and integration of the SAR with other state information systems will remain essential to ensure inclusiveness, efficient use of resources, resilience and interoperability, as well as to support the further development of agricultural policy and public service delivery.
Contact
Viktoriia Mykhalchuk
FAO Ukraine Communications Coordinator
(+38) 098 605 5061