Deputy Director for Research of the Land Management Institute of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Dr. Sc. (Economics), Professor Shamil Ibatullin took part in the 10th International Conference on Agricultural Statistics (ICAS X), held on July 8–10, 2026, in Krakow (Republic of Poland). This year’s forum was themed “Innovative Data Approaches: Shaping Resilient and Sustainable Agri-Food Systems in the Digital Age.”.
 
The ICAS conference is a leading global platform bringing together producers and users of agricultural data — national statistical offices, international agencies, researchers, and private sector representatives — to exchange practical experience and discuss the latest methodological developments. A distinctive feature of this milestone 10th forum was its emphasis on the idea that in the digital age, agricultural statistics should not only track change but actively shape it, driving the transition toward more adaptive, productive, and environmentally responsible agri-food systems. The conference agenda covered a wide range of thematic areas, including shocks, risks, and resilience; food security, nutrition, and diets; markets, prices, and value chains; sustainable production and consumption; natural resources and the environment; digital agriculture and artificial intelligence; innovative data sources, geospatial information, and interoperability; capacity building, data access, and its use for policymaking; as well as data quality and measurement error.
 
Professor Shamil Ibatullin delivered a presentation titled “Delimitation of Rural Areas Under Extraordinary Conditions: Ukraine’s Recent Experience” in the session “Redefining Rurality: New Data Sources for Delimiting Rural Areas in the Digital Era,” moderated by Dr. Monika Stanny (Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, Polish Academy of Sciences, IRWiR PAN).
 
The presentation drew on work conducted on Ukrainian territory during 2022–2026 and focused on how to delimit rural areas when the usual assumption of stable boundaries and regular reporting cycles no longer holds, and up-to-date statistical and spatial data are lacking. The author proposed starting not from data but from decisions — first identifying which decisions need to be made daily, weekly, or monthly, and only then determining the minimum level of data accuracy required for each. The presentation emphasized that requirements for accuracy, coverage, and timeliness usually cannot be met simultaneously, meaning a statistical system must explicitly define its priorities. Particular attention was given to the fact that during a prolonged and spatially uneven shock, a single community may simultaneously fall into several functional categories, and that a frontline territory is a fundamentally different analytical unit than a rear-area community, even if both appear “rural” on an administrative map.
 
The Institute’s team expresses sincere gratitude to Dr. Monika Stanny for the invitation and for organizing our participation in this major international conference, providing an opportunity to present the scientific achievements of Ukrainian researchers at the global level.
 
More details about the conference are available at the following link