Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko

Inspired by The Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) I sent a letter to the UK Department for Education to contribute agri-focused suggestions to the curriculum review (due to be announced in spring 2027).



Why?
Because farming isn’t just “land-based work” — it’s science, data, climate resilience, food security, and innovation.


Yet we’re seeing declining youth engagement and growing gaps in plant science, agri-tech, and food-systems literacy.



My suggestion is NOT to reinvent the wheel.



I took practical examples from:
🇯🇵 Japan
🇨🇭 Switzerland
🇩🇪 Germany
🇫🇮 Finland
🇸🇬 Singapore



They are already doing great work in agricultural education.
We don't need to copy-and-paste but adapt and adjust their approach -> to the reality of the British farming lifestyle.

Based on their successful practice, the next steps for the UK could be:



1. Make STEM feel real again (through agriculture, plus make it STEAM - add a bit of Arts 🥰)


Put agriculture case studies inside biology, geography, climate systems, data science — not as optional enrichment.



2. Soil literacy = climate literacy.


Teach soil as a living system: water retention, biodiversity, carbon storage, crop resilience.


3. Food + finance + future thinking.

Help students understand supply chains, production costs, pricing, and innovation under constraints.


4. Build a credible skills pipeline.

Ensure every student grows and harvests at least one plant by KS3.


5. Elevate the Agriculture T Level with clearer progression and modernisation.


6. Pilot Farm Experience Weeks (Year 10 / Year 12), modelled on Swiss/German approaches.

🌱🌟🙏


2026 could be a year of positive change.

Considering that the National Curriculum is reviewed roughly once a decade, we have a real opportunity to make agricultural education and climate literacy a stronger, higher-status part of what every student learns.


💪🚜🎓



If you’re an educator, farmer or parent: what would you add to make “food, farming, and land” a high-status part of UK learning — for every child (urban or rural)?

#Education #STEM #drmarynakuzmenko

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2 days ago | [YT] | 2

Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko

Why LAMMA 2026 is no longer "just a machinery show" 🚜🌱

The agricultural calendar just shifted.


For the first time, ‪@lammashow1‬ , ‪@croptec-show‬ , and ‪@lowcarbonagriculture2186‬ have co-located at the NEC Birmingham.

If you are a "forward-thinking farmer" - you have already known this: the goal isn't just to see new kit.


It’s to navigate a "360-degree view" of a rapidly changing industry.

So can we call it a "powerhouse event"? Absolutely!


These are three "why?" answered.


1. Seamless Co-Location
700+ exhibitors and three massive shows under one roof.
It means operational efficiency.
Instead of three separate trips away from the farm, you get a "one-stop shop". It reduces the "extraordinary amount of change" fatigue by consolidating your market research into 48 hours.


2. Live Demo Arenas & Keynote Theatres
Real-time machinery testing at LAMMA and "Profit Theatres" at CropTec.
It means de-risked decision making. You aren't just reading a brochure; you’re speaking directly to engineers and peers who have adopted different farming systems. This turns raw technical specs into actionable strategies you can trust.


3. The Sustainability-Tech Hybrid
AI-powered energy diversification alongside hydrogen-combustion engines and gene-edited crop innovations.

It's all about future-proofed profitability.
This is where carbon moves from a cost to a "new revenue stream".
Y ou aren't just looking at a tractor; you’re looking at an energy asset that helps you reach Net Zero goals while strengthening financial resilience.



The real value of 2026 isn't the individual parts — it's the convergence.
🚜 At LAMMA: You see the hardware (The "What").
🌱 At CropTec: You learn the science/agronomy (The "How").
🌍 At Low Carbon Ag: You find the energy and policy roadmap (The "Why" and "When").
_____________________



My most valuable takeaway from Birmingham show:

Stop looking at your machinery, your soil, and your energy bills in silos.

To be a successful farmer tomorrow, you must be a technology integrator today.

_____________________

Were you there?

What was the one piece of tech or insight that shifted your perspective for the 2026 season?

Let’s discuss in the comments 👇🤝👍

#Lamma26 #CropTec #LowCarbonAgriculture

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5 days ago | [YT] | 11

Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko

Yesterday, I shared some personal reflections on last week’s The Oxford Farming Conference (OFC).
Today, I want to highlight a few professional insights I took away from Oxford.

OFC stands apart from other UK agrifood events because of the presence of key stakeholders speaking on behalf of entire sectors within agriculture.

It’s not a place to go deep into technical detail.
That can be done elsewhere or at home 👍

Instead, OFC is where you hear signals.
Those signals then echo across smaller, more specialised events throughout the year.

My notes include far more than the eight signals I’ve shared here, but in short, the main directions of discussion were:
-> Policy certainty & implementation
-> Water as a limiting factor
-> Human sustainability & wellbeing
-> Data, measurement & collaboration

These signals don’t predict the future
But they do show where attention is shifting.

What do you think about these signals? 🤔

#OFC26

_______________
Disclaimer (Just in case)

1. The views expressed do not represent the official positions of any organisation or speaker and are the unpaid opinion of one individual (‪@drmarynakuzmenko‬).

2. References and statements are used for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as exhaustive or universally applicable.

3. Any forward-looking statements involve uncertainty and may change as policies, markets, and environmental conditions evolve.

4. This content is intended to inform discussion, not to provide financial, legal, or operational advice.

5. For further questions or comments on this topic, please contact me right here, right now 😉

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1 week ago | [YT] | 5

Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko

What I really love about my first The Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) is the practical outcome: we were not only speaking about resilience - we were growing it, right in the heart of Oxford.

Climate resilience

1️⃣ Snow covered half of the UK just before our travel day. Delays, cancellations — perfect environment for resilience. But at the final destination of the journey we were gifted with a warm smile by Kelly Hewson-Fisher, one of our OFC directors in 2026 Inspire Programme. What a start!

2️⃣Have I mentioned “snow”? It was actually cold rain and wind the very next day.
Together with Will Sanders and Liz Bowes we rushed through the High Street to make it to the Oxford Union Debate.
We didn’t have an umbrella, but we had a great team of three which was far more important.

3️⃣ As a cherry on top: a cold shower on Day 3
When I say “cold shower”, it’s not a poetic metaphor but quite a real fact in our morning routine. However, being resilient & being uncomfortable are sometimes indeed synonyms!

Change resilience

4️⃣ It was 7:18 AM on Thursday when I got lost somewhere in the middle of the Mike Potter Memorial Run. I was too naïve to believe that my gym treadmill preparation would be enough for the brutal Oxford run alongside OFC people running at something close to Mo Farah’s pace.

So I stopped at the crossroads.
No sign of any OFC fellows around…
The decision came instantly: re-route.
With today’s technology changing direction at any point in life isn’t a question at all.

5️⃣ I was absolutely privileged to sit next to Baroness Minette Batters DL for half of Day 1. It was pure coincidence and happened right after a very embarrassing moment earlier.

Still recovering from my morning run, I forgot to silence my phone during the Farming Profitability Review session.
Of course it rang exactly as the Baroness was summing up the 57 recommendations.
Then I hit the wrong button in panic...

If you were one of the almost 100 people in Room 11, my sincere apologies for interrupting your session.
I won’t do it again, promise!

Emotional resilience

6️⃣ I’ve pitched my company, Petiole Pro, many times. But how about pitching… my city?
I was NOT prepared for that elevator pitch at all. While walking with Jon Williams | BASF Agricultural Solutions to Post-Debate Dinner, I was challenged on the spot & tried to explain why Peterborough is the happiest place to live (please don’t trust those who say the opposite - ask me!)

7️⃣How many coaches are there on the Oxford–London train?
I have no idea.
But without any prior agreement, I met David Hill in my coach on the way back. What a nice conversation we had! Plus being stuck near Reading for 15 mins - also resilience lesson, I think

8️⃣ Finally, during the OFC days I felt genuinely good because of my Inspire circle: Adam, Agnes, Andrew, Anna, Beth, Bronagh, Jessica, Laura, Matthew, Morgan, Tom
Resilience - only together!

To sum up my #OFC26, I have nothing but this:
Fall seven times.
Stand up eight
💚

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1 week ago | [YT] | 8

Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko

Yesterday, exactly at this time, I was at the Oxford Union Debate.
Moreover, I was contributing my 2 minutes on the co-location of data centres and greenhouses.



Now I’m on my way back home after three intense days of The Oxford Farming Conference (OFC)
I’ll write about these days separately.

The only aftertaste I have right now is full acceptance of resilience as the main personal skill to develop in 2026.

Considering that the world is heading in a pretty unknown direction
(no, I haven’t read the news for the last three days — I’m just analysing pieces of conversations I overheard),
we still have a reason for hope.

But it’s very important to highlight:
neither me nor anyone else can give you hope.

You can grow it only by yourself.

How to grow hope?
Simple!



One lady yesterday in our 15-minute conversation (but it feels like I’ve known her all my life 🥰), she told me that when she’s feeling desperate or sad, she does something quite easy. She does push-ups.

The gym is too far from her village, but push-ups are kind of free antidepressants… and good for the body 💪🏻

I don’t know why, but I trust her.

It sounds like a crime NOT to try this truly unique method on such an occasion 🤣

I suggest resilience and hope appears immediately after the first session (however, subject to confirmation 🙂)

Have you any experience of using this method of personal growth?

PS: I’m getting off at the next station. Tomorrow I’ll continue! 💚

#resilience

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1 week ago | [YT] | 11

Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko

It feels like everyone has done a 2025 year recap apart from me.
Let’s do it now!
___



👉 My biggest discovery: AI agents.
They’re a bit costly (ouch!), but when you work with them, you feel like the future isn’t somewhere else — it’s right in front of you, on the screen.


👉 My deepest concern: water.
And the deeper I dive, the more I understand that water trading is something we’ll have in 10 – 20 years.
As of now, strict water monitoring of those available scarce drops (I'm thinking of Western Europe in late August) is a must-have.


👉 My unexplained self-discovery: how I managed to deploy a quick-and-dirty prototype of an Agroforestry Chatbot (RAG, LLM) by myself.

However, what came before that was my greatest learning.


👉 My greatest learning: agroforestry.
I opened a book — it was about how to make any farm profitable — and I stayed there… because suddenly everything makes sense!
Agroforestry is hope for farming (two or more revenue streams; biodiversity gains; applicable in wide range of conditions).


👉 My brightest memory: I walked into a room full of ladies. After a quick look, chat & a little exploration of what we can do TOGETHER, my internal imposter quietly left the room. I stayed there!
(Thanks, Innovate UK Women in Innovation Community Forum 💜 )


👉 My most memorable inspiration: I walked into a different room — full of ladies and gentlemen of my age with a strong farming & agrifood background. After a warm ice-breaker session and a chat, my alien feelings flew away. I stayed there!
(Thanks, Oxford Farming Conference, for the opportunity to be part of the Inspire Programme 💚)


👉 My best-ever philosophical advice, received by me (inexperienced) from someone wise:
"What to do if I’m not good enough?"
"The only thing you can do is continue your way and educate yourself. During this journey, you’ll meet someone who will sincerely believe that you are definitely good (and more than enough)"


👉 My best-ever empowerment: the final sentence of Navy SEAL Echos:



"I will not fail"

It’s worth memorising and repeating it every time — in all environments, on any mission.


👉 My biggest promise: to publish a portal with Petiole Pro mentions in 110+ research papers.
So where’s the announcement?
In tomorrow’s post 🤩
Please, come back 🙏
_________________________


Instead of a conclusion



"Mum, we’ll have a wild party at school tomorrow to celebrate the end of the year"
"What do you mean by “wild”?
"No fancy dress, but the teacher said we will play lots of games with my friends and will be free to chat with each other — with no “told-offs”


Sometimes I see that in our digital, busy, crazy business & human world, all we need is a teacher who will announce a wild party 🤣



However, considering that teachers are very busy people — let’s move the world around by ourselves.


Let’s meet and chat (no fancy dress is required).



And may the biggest impact of our work be born in the next 52 working weeks 💫 🌱 🚀

#personalreflection #drmarynakuzmenko

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 9

Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko

A few years ago, I was volunteering in a community kitchen.
We needed to feed a crowd of people at our local event.
The weather was unpredictably bad.
The day was very windy, with moments of what the British call “spitting rain”
But the show must go on.

Yesterday, when I started reading the UK #FarmProfitabilityReview, I had a very similar feeling.
That sense of a very important mission that farmers are responsibly accomplishing in 24/7/365 mode.

The global and the national environment is changing.
You know, probably even better than me, how messy the farming business could be, and yet food still has to appear on shelves — on time, every time and with low impact on the natural environment.

That's why the UK Farm Profitability Review, published yesterday, is a very important document.

It provides not only
(1) the overview of what's going on in the fields and barns of the UK but also
(2) recommendations about how to restore balance between food production and the environment

(spoiler straight from the page 7: "They should be treated as two sides of the same coin" 😉)

***

I know that most of you, who spend time with me on LinkedIn and beyond, are not from the UK.
However, in the equation of farm profit, the location brings just a tiny fraction of the story.
The headlines change, but the pressure points are surprisingly universal.

Farm profitability is the first thought guys are waking up with in Colombia.

The same problems with low margins exist for lettuce growers in pretty cool Singapore.
Not even mentioning farmers in Malaysia, living just across the bridge from Singapore — but with profits that are times lower.

Nigeria or California — indeed, the multiplier is different (in Africa we speak about dozens of dollars, but in the US it’s three- or four-digit numbers).

But the essence of the conversations is always about:
(a) making money
(b) staying resilient in a world that keeps shifting
(c) harming nature less while doing (a) and (b)

That’s why you need to read the UK farm profitability review.

You may find something 100% relevant despite the geographical and sometimes economical distance between us.

***

And back on that day at my community kitchen, we had one really sunny person.

Our coordinator was a true leader — keeping the BBQ stove working and the mindset positive (I was just the bring-and-serve guy there :))

Leaders are the decisive factor in most of the equations.

Thank you, Minette Batters DL, for adding your professionalism, wealth of farming experience, and so much soul into this important document for the future of the UK farming 🌱

#farming

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 7

Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko

10% of my time I spend volunteering.
Locally or globally.
But it’s not my unique invention.

Take any religion on the globe and you’ll find this same request: please, give part of your life to others for free.
You’ll get more 🤩

You can contribute either your time or your money.

As usual, the first step (in our case, the first hour 🕒 or the first banknote 💰) is the most difficult one.

Later it becomes a habit.

__________

Dear students of the free introductory “AI in Agriculture” course on Udemy,

I hope everyone who was waiting for a certificate has now received it (I sent certificates to all students who completed the course between 29 August–27 December 2025 and requested one via the Google Form).

However, I also have a list of two dozen names who asked for a certificate but:

1. either haven’t finished the course (18%, 43%, or even 70% completion is NOT acceptable, sorry) or

2. your name on Udemy is different, and I simply can’t verify you and match you to the list of 2,330 students.

If you’re still waiting for your certificate and you’ve completed 100% of the course — please let me know in the comments and let’s fix it ASAP… I mean, this year :))

I sent the final batch of certificates a few days ago.

It was my birthday gift to myself — to close the year with a clean conscience.

And it’s also my intentional choice: I don’t outsource this pretty routine task for one reason — to keep my connection with reality.

(Moreover, 30% of my students are not on LinkedIn, which is very good — it gives wider perspectives and slightly less bias in understanding what's going on in agriculture)

__________

In 2026, please:

(a) keep your connections with your real people,
(b) educate yourself and
(c) do something kind for your local and global communities.

I will do the same.

See you in 2026 :)

#newyearresolution

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 13

Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko

For the last three years, I’ve kept the SAME photo at the top of my LinkedIn profile.
What’s even more important… it’s in my heart as well 🥰

Just check the leftest one.
Do you see me and another smiling plant-lover? :)
Her name is Dr. Alicja Dzieciol.
Though, in my phone she’s saved as Alicja SilviBio :)

__________

… It was June 2020, when Agri-TechE (one of the leading UK agritech hubs) organised the GROW agri-tech business plan competition.

I applied with my promising agritech project (huge thank you to Dr. Michael Gifford from NIAB for valuable mentorship 🙏) but I didn’t make it to the final.

So do you know who won?
Alicja & her SilviBio! 🏆

__________

Since then, I’ve been following her and her vision of how modern chemistry can positively impact agriculture and forestry.

We met in person thanks to Innovate UK, during the Women in Innovation Agritech trip to the Netherlands in 2022.
And since our in-person meeting, I’ve fallen in love with SilviBio because of their mission 💚

Alicja and her team are bringing truly unique biobased and peat-free growing media to growers.

I’m not an expert in all this growing stuff, so I asked Alicja why peat-free growing media can be better than traditional soil.

The answer is simply logical: it's more sustainable and more controllable.

Why innovative growing medium is important?
1. It can be made from renewable or circular materials,
2. It can deliver a clean, consistent root environment with predictable water retention, drainage and aeration

Unlike field soil, these mixes are typically free from weeds and many pathogens, can be custom-formulated.
Real examples with less theory?

✨ Silvibio has developed a seed coating for conifers — the most economically important species — that improves germination by 40% under drought stress. This innovative bio-formulation creates a survival capsule for the seedling, providing a water source, slow-release nutrition & a favourable environment for beneficial microorganisms.

✨ Also they launched the Shear Innovation project (funded by the government!😎), transforming wool waste into high-performance, peat-free horticultural substrates. These blends improve water retention, seed germination, and crop resilience — while also helping to reduce fertiliser run-off

✨ Additionally, they also created its own peat-free growing media blend, designed in response to growers’ real challenges. The mix is customizable, coconut coir-free, bio-based, biodegradable & microplastic-free - you see, that’s all the keywords of sustainable agriculture!

If you need numbers a proof - ask Alicja directly.

__________

So, while you’re planning your 2026 season and technical specifications, please think about innovation.

If you want better yields, there’s a need to do something differently — maybe a different growing medium... or a more data-driven approach
(but that’s a different story 😉).

Dear growers: what’s your experience with peat-free growing media blends?

#peatfree

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 14

Dr. Maryna Kuzmenko

The scariest thing is hitting the “Send” button - emailing someone more powerful while you feel like you’re just… you 😳

“Did I write the correct address?”
“Have I made mistakes?”
“Is the right file attached?”
Those thoughts always come after.

But I believe the real power is still to hit THAT button.


Even if the letter isn’t perfect.
And even if you feel like an imposter with all those loud fears in your head...

This week I wrote to my Member of Parliament — Andrew Pakes.
I’d been planning to do it for a few weeks/months.



But after reading the “Open letter: Six steps towards a national plan of protected horticulture — A call for coordinated action” and the Farming Profitability Review, I realised: no way to delay.
The letter had to be sent now.



I built it around three points — as expected: agritech, education, and (because we can’t ignore it anymore) energy + planning for controlled-environment agriculture (CEA).



So, briefly:



1) Agritech is already “core infrastructure.”

Everything is moving fast (yes, the AI-powered element brings speed).

And 2025 sent very clear signals: ADOPT, AgriScale, the APPGSTA “30:50:50 mission,” the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025, and the Farming Profitability Review — all pointing to the need for a stronger adoption, skills, and investment environment.



2) The curriculum review, currently led by the Department for Education, is a rare window to rebuild the agriculture-to-STEM pipeline.

A few weeks ago in my letter to the APPG on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM, I shared how important it is to bring more agriculture and plant science into the journey: secondary schools → FE/HE → employers, through T Levels, placements, and modern skills (data, sensors, automation, robotics, plant science, and basic AI literacy).
I added this message to Mr. Pakes as well.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity we shouldn’t lose.
The most active stage of the review will be in 2026.



3) Energy + planning are the bottleneck for CEA — and also the unlock.
As I mentioned above, I read a short but very clear letter from UK CEA insiders.
It’s signed by 27 passionate experts, and that matters — because it confirms there are issues that could seriously damage the industry if left unaddressed.

Someone in Government must hear them.



(*I said this while snacking on a delicious British tomato accompanied with green British cucumber and a crispy British pepper, locally grown in Cambridgeshire — we need more food grown nearby 🍅🫑🥒🫑🍅)

I also added two specific asks to my MP (read them on the two final pages of my letter).



If you want to support the agricultural industry and science — please consider doing the same.


Write a letter to your MP.

👉 Take my doc, edit it, improve it based on your experience, and let’s have more conversations about UK food security.
No fears. No limits.
Only actions and results.



Dear people passionate about agriculture — how do you agree with this motto? 😉🚀🌱

#UKFarming

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1 month ago | [YT] | 7