Upgraded agritech-classes are going to be launched in Novosibirsk, Kaluga, Voronezh and Kursk oblasts, Altai area and the Republic of Tatarstan. With the Group’s support, specialised laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment were set up within schools in the run-up to the new academic year for future agricultural specialists to immerse themselves in the worlds of efficient livestock farming, biotechnology, food production, agri-engineering and crop growing. Such a comprehensive approach to training young professionals makes it possible to widen the talent pool for the Russian farming sector.

EkoNiva’s project to create agritech-classes was started in Maslyanino district of Novosibirsk oblast. In 2025, the P. P. Lanovenchik School became a pilot platform for the HR in Agriculture federal project, implementing an innovative continuous-learning model that involves close collaboration with the region’s leading universities and colleges, as well as with the strategic partner EkoNiva Group.

In the 2026/2027 academic year, an Agroquantorium comprising four laboratories will also be established based on the agritech-classes. As part of the project, pupils in grades 7-11 will be able to take courses in bread baking and cheesemaking, practise operating modern farm machinery on simulators and will be taught the basics of veterinary medicine using training models.

The first agritech-class is to be opened in Altai area as well. An efficient livestock farming laboratory has been set up at Talmenka Comprehensive Secondary School No. 3, with the necessary furniture and equipment already purchased. The pupils will learn about cutting-edge animal care technologies and the fundamentals of veterinary medicine and genetics.

Major upgrades will also extend to other regions. In Kaluga oblast, new equipment is expected to be delivered to the agritech-class laboratories of Kudinovo Comprehensive Secondary School in Maloyaroslavets district and Medyn Comprehensive Secondary School in Medyn district. They will receive kits for microbiology experiments and food quality testing, plant study tools, electronic educational resources, collections of interactive tasks and much more.

In Voronezh oblast, changes will affect two specialised classes. A Biotechnology in Food Production laboratory will be opened at Zaluzhnoye Comprehensive Secondary School in Liski district, allowing students to go behind the scenes of the industry. At Drakino Comprehensive Secondary School, the modernisation of the genetics and plant breeding laboratory is underway. The facility will be equipped with new interactive panels, trinocular microscopes, mobile laptop workstations and specific software for chemistry, biology and physics. In Kursk region, the existing agritech-classrooms were refurbished, and branding was performed, ready to welcome future professionals at Zashchitnoye, Prigorodnyaya and Okhochevskaya schools.

The Group’s Volga Region Subdivision launched its first agritech-class specialising in agricultural engineering. Malaya Bugulma Comprehensive Secondary School in the Republic of Tatarstan renovated the corresponding room and purchased multimedia equipment for the pupils in grades 7-11 to start the studies. The curriculum was developed in collaboration with Kazan State Agricultural University professors.

‘We make it our mission to show schoolchildren that farming is one of the most high-tech industries. Another goal is to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The pupils of our agritech-classes will tackle real-world challenges right here and now. Such an approach allows them to immerse themselves in the profession ever since school, enabling us to build a strong talent pool at the same time’, says Alina Ryazantseva, Head of Talent Pool Department at EkoNiva Group.

In total, 45 agritech-classes were opened in Russia with the participation of EkoNiva, with the number of pupils exceeding 900. The project covers 9 regions: Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Moscow, Ryazan, Leningrad and Novosibirsk oblasts, Altai area and the Republic of Tatarstan. The Group cooperates with 25 schools, 8 state universities and 3 specialised secondary educational institutions. By the end of the 2025/2026 academic year, over 160 ninth graders and more than 50 eleventh graders graduated from the agritech-classes mentored by EkoNiva. The blueprint is to launch a soil science class at Moscow State University Gymnasium.