On October 24, in the Kherson Chamber of Commerce and Industry a meeting with lecturers of the Institute of Agriculture and Forestry (Vic-en-Bigorre, France) was held. The First Vice President of KCCI Ms. Valentina Udod, Deputy Director for Research of the Institute of irrigated agriculture of the southern region State Academy of the Agricultural Sciences of Ukraine Mr. Yuriy Lavrinenko, Head of the International Department of the Kherson Academic Lyceum Ms. Victoria Cherevan, specialist of the Department of Economic Development Ms. Alena Ustimenko participated in the event. Kherson State Agrarian University was represented by the head of International Relations and Information Support Department Mr. Vitaliy Pichura and subdean of the Fisheries and Ecology Faculty Mr. Pavel Boyko.

French guests were interested in cooperation with Ukrainian universities in the exchange of students, collaboration on projects, holding joint conferences and establishment of contact with farming enterprises, which would like to work in the field of forestry.

Vic-en-Bigorre Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, involved in implementation of international projects, plans to expand its international ties. Among the University’s activities - study of the climatic influence on crops and reforestation, fire resistance increase and species diversity of forest stands. It is also actual for the Kherson region. According to the head of the delegation Mr. Jean Rondet, such projects are successfully implemented not only in France but also in Spain and Portugal. In particular, for the restoration of forest ranges they suggests the methods combining planting new forests and growing mushrooms at the roots of the trees. Mycorrhiza - a symbiosis of the fungus and the roots of higher plants - helps the tree to obtain the necessary minerals, thus contributing to its development, revitalizes the soil and enriches it with organics.

The meeting resulted in preliminary agreement on cooperation between Vic-en-Bigorre Institute of Agriculture and Forestry and Kherson State Agrarian University and the Institute of Irrigated Farming in the field of crop growing, monitoring of reforestation area, forest shelter-belts.