In Ukraine there are more than 150 agriculture-related institutions with some 300 libraries. These institutions are constituents of the Ukrainian Agrarian Academy. The use of information technology in Ukraine has been much affected by economic crisis. There has been a significant reduction in scientific research and in publications related to such research. This affected purchase and exchange of scientific literature and other information sources. Libraries not only have no connectivity to the Internet. Most of them are not even equipped with personal computers. Library specialists quit meager library posts for better paid jobs with private companies.

However, there have been some positive changes in the library-information world. The Central Agriculture Library got a new director a year ago and he is very keen on exploiting new possibilities for international cooperation. New projects related to extension activities have also been set up. The projects seek to better disseminate information amongst numerous extension services in Ukraine which, much like in Russia, have no knowledge of one another and are therefore unable to cooperate successfully. AGRIS network has started to develop in Ukraine. So far its expansion has not been sufficient yet the hopes remain for the system to develop further. The use of Internet has begun to be introduced into the agribusiness, with an example of an electronic newspaper Internet-Marketing.

Here are some events that have recently marked the development in the Ukrainian Agro-Industrial Complex (AIC):

A Web site of Ministry of AIC was created a year ago. There are a few Web sites of Agrarian Mercantile Exchanges and one of the National Association of Exchanges. The largest bakery enterprise Khleb Ukrainy has also developed its own Web site. An electronic bulletin of Ukrainian statistical and analytical information is also available. So are the Agronews and the Food Magazine with price-lists.

Of special importance is the Web site of the Center for Privatization and Economic Reform in Agriculture (www.cper.kiev.ua). Cter issues its own bulletin which has had more than 400 subscribers. A few agricultural universities, including National Agrarian University, also maintain their own Web sites. The Ukrainian Association of Farmers and the Union of Information Experts of Agro-Industrial Complex(UIE AIC) can also be found on the Internet along with some other resources as is presented by the AgroWeb-Ukraine (http://www.awu.kiev.ua).

During the last year the Ukrainian membership of IAALD has grown from one institution and one individual to two and seven respectively. Also, the Union of Information Experts of Agro-Industrial Complex (UIE AIC) has been founded. The Union may be instrumental in establishing contacts between Ukrainian professionals and their colleagues in other countries. Professional NGOs may be a way for professionals to survive in the conditions of permanent perestroyka that is still taking place in this large agrarian country.