At the invitation of the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture, I traveled to Kaunas in late March for the agricultural exhibition Ką pasėsi… 2026, where I gave a presentation titled “Healthy soil as the foundation for stable yields.”
I came to share Ukraine’s experience of how healthy soil helps farmers withstand difficult times. And once again, I found myself reflecting on a simple truth: we live in different countries, but our fields ask very similar questions.
For me, this trip also had a more personal meaning. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, our No-till Laboratory conferences in Kyiv always drew participants from Lithuania. For many years, we exchanged experience in Ukraine, and now I had the opportunity to visit my Lithuanian colleagues.
During the exhibition, they held a discussion about establishing a club for farmers practicing regenerative agriculture. At their request, I recorded a short message for the participants.
Such initiatives matter. Stronger professional communities grow through collaboration, trust, and the exchange of practical experience.
The following day, I spoke about healthy soil as the foundation for stable yields. I explained that, in the face of climate fluctuations, what matters most is not the name of a particular farming system, but whether it improves the soil or weakens it.
What I found particularly valuable was the number of questions that followed my presentation. We continued the discussion in a question-and-answer format for almost another hour.
This is a good sign. When a topic truly resonates with people, the conversation does not end with the last slide.
During the visit, Raimondas Kosteckas and I exchanged books. In the copy he gave me, he wrote: “May your path lead you far, into the wide fields of this world.”
Book exchange with Raimondas Kosteckas.
I am especially grateful to the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture for the invitation, and to my Lithuanian colleagues for their attention, openness, and insightful questions.