Contributing to Ukraine’s resilience & reconstruction

Stay in the loop

Never miss a story! Sign up for daily updates and the latest headlines.

MERIT – Miscanthus Energy for a Resilient and Inclusive Transition

The MERIT Project aims to grow Miscanthus on abandoned and war-torn land. The resulting biomass will be supplied to renewable energy plants and be a sustainable feedstock for advanced construction materials.

By cultivating Miscanthus, a low-maintenance perennial crop, MERIT is leveraging Ukraine’s vast agricultural potential – an industry that comprises 10% of GDP, 15% of employment and 40% of exports. With an estimated 2 million hectares of arable but contaminated land, Miscanthus cultivation provides a viable phyto-remediation strategy while creating income streams for rural communities, in which one-third of the population lives.

The project addresses five key challenges:

1 December 2025 to 30 November 2027

£1.9 million (pound sterling)

Ensuring energy security

Rehabilitating land

Revitalising the rural economy

Creating jobs for returning soldiers

Keeping reconstruction funds within the domestic economy

Project Focus

MERIT’s innovation lies in adapting existing biomass technologies and identifying suitable Miscanthus genotypes for Ukraine’s climate.

Field trials will determine the best-performing varieties under local soil conditions. To replace existing labour-intensive planting methods ill-suited for Ukraine’s vast landscapes, MERIT will develop precision mechanised planting techniques compatible with local machinery.

The project will focus on trials in the Rivne, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia and Odesa oblasts, which represent a cross-section of all climatic zones and soil conditions.

Six Areas of Innovation

Traditional propagation of miscanthus by dividing existing rhizomes is a slow process, increasing the area under cultivation by approximately 20-fold every few years. Given Ukraine’s land resources, which amount to millions of hectares, such a pace is wholly inadequate. Furthermore, the business models, genotype selection, planting techniques and harvesting equipment that are effective for small and medium-sized European farms are ill-suited to Ukraine’s vast, often polluted and infrastructure-constrained agricultural lands.

MERIT combines tissue culture-based micropropagation with cutting-edge agronomic strategies, achieving expansion rates of over 500-fold per season. The main outcome of the project is the establishment of Ukraine’s first specialised centre for miscanthus tissue culture, designed to meet the needs of the local agricultural sector.

By selecting specially developed varieties adapted to Ukrainian winters and contaminated soils, and combining them with tried-and-tested agricultural practices, MERIT bridges the gap between what is available in Europe and what Ukraine actually needs.

Mass Propagation via Tissue Culture

Ukraine’s first miscanthus micropropagation centre produces thousands of uniform seedlings per season, enabling a 500-fold annual expansion rate.

Precision Mechanised Planting

GPS-based protocols adapted to Ukrainian farm machinery reduce labour costs, improve crop uniformity and enable large-scale deployment.

AI-Powered Remote Sensing

Satellite and drone imagery with AI analysis enables automatic weed detection, growth monitoring and yield forecasting across vast field areas.

Field Granulation and Green Harvesting

On-site pelletisation and green biomass harvesting adapted to Ukrainian farm scale allows processing closer to the field, reducing logistics costs.

Phyto-Remediation Assessment

Systematic protocols assess accumulation of harmful substances in miscanthus grown on land affected by military operations and contamination.

Multiple Biomass Utilisation Pathways

Products tailored to multiple markets: pellets for heating, straw bales for energy, green biomass for biogas, and fibres for construction.

What’s new with MERIT that wasn’t there before

Miscanthus cultivation is already well established in Western Europe and the UK. However, Ukraine presents different challenges in terms of scale, land conditions, the severity of its winters and war-related issues — all of which require a fundamentally different approach. Rather than simply replicating the existing model, MERIT is developing new methods specifically designed for Ukraine.

Short-term results

Off-grid biomass systems ensure a power supply during attacks on infrastructure

Creating low-intensity seasonal jobs for disadvantaged groups

Abandoned land is once again being used for productive, income-generating activities

Long-term results

The renewable energy sector, based on local resources and skilled personnel

Miscanthus crops yield harvests for over 20 years with minimal use of chemicals

Distributed value chains that enable even small farms to supply energy to large consumers

Sponsors, Partners & Collaborations

This InnovateUkraine programme ia funded by the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) and UK International Development

Terravesta

Admin Lead

Leader in miscanthus supply chains, supporting growers through long-term contracts. Responsible for knowledge transfer, business model adaptation and overall project coordination.

Miscanthus Technology

Technology Lead

Co-founded by a renewable energy developer and agricultural entrepreneur. Deep expertise in sustainable farming, bio-energy and Miscanthus cultivation on marginal lands.

Frendt

Monitoring and Agronomy Partner

Precision agriculture specialist with a decade of experience in Ukraine. Implements digital tools, collects field data and provides technical consultations on innovation.

Liverpool John Moores University

Scientific Partner

Over 25 years of expertise in Miscanthus physiology. Research covers growth optimisation, rhizome dormancy, seed quality improvement and field-scale emergence.

Cranfield University

Technology Lead

Provides expertise in remote sensing and spatial analysis to support field monitoring and yield forecasting across Ukrainian trial sites.

FCDO / UK International Development

Funder

This InnovateUkraine programme is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office through UK International Development.

Project Progress

Status updates on the progress of the project will be posted here. The project runs from December 2025 to November 2027.

With the latest version the SFI pays farmers to adopt and maintain sustainable farming practices that can protect and improve the environment.

Download UK SFI factsheet

Biomass is a core element of many environmental and climate policies in the EU and is set to play a key role in the transition to a sustainable, climate-neutral economy.