Igor Ostapchuk

Igor Ostapchuk is an External Doctoral Researcher at the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO) in the Department of Structural Development of Farms and Rural Areas (Structural Change). He rejoined IAMO in January 2016 after previously working there from April to July 2015. His research focuses on agricultural economics, particularly mergers and acquisitions in agribusiness, post-merger integration, and growth strategies of agroholdings in transition economies, with a special emphasis on Ukraine.

Education:

• BSc in Management of Foreign Economic Activity, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine
• BSc in Jurisprudence, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine
• MSc in Administrative Management, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine

Ostapchuk's research centers on agroholding dynamics in transition economies, examining M&A processes, post-merger integration mechanisms, and growth strategies through empirical farm-level analysis. His work integrates agricultural economics with corporate strategy to address structural changes in Ukrainian agriculture, with secondary focus on efficiency measurement and land market dynamics. He frequently employs spatial competition models and machine learning techniques to analyze complex agricultural systems.

His 2021-2022 publications reveal concentrated research on acquisition behaviors in Ukrainian and Russian agroholdings, demonstrating how spatial competition models explain land rental market dynamics and how machine learning quantifies climate impacts on crop yields. Key thematic trends include the application of enterprise-level perspectives to global agri-food competitiveness and the integration of corporate governance concepts into agricultural transition studies.

No scientific awards are reported in the provided information.

Ostapchuk has received scholarship support during his IAMO tenure (2015 and 2016-present) and actively contributes to the LaScalA (International Competence Center on Large Scale Agriculture) project, participating in research design, data analysis, and international conference presentations. His collaborative work involves significant contributions to project deliverables including peer-reviewed publications and policy briefs.

He operates within IAMO's Structural Change department research team, collaborating closely with Taras Gagalyuk, Marten Graubner, and Jarmila Curtiss on agroholding studies. His work is institutionally embedded in the LaScalA project framework, which coordinates international research on large-scale agricultural enterprises across transition and developed economies.