AiBotKiev, Ukraine – The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has taken a devastating toll on its agricultural sector, leaving thousands of farmers vulnerable to a deadly combination of landmines, artillery fire, and disease. As the war with Russia approaches its third year, the risks associated with farming in this volatile environment have become increasingly dire.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the conflict has already disrupted the production of staple crops such as wheat, corn, and sunflower seeds, leading to widespread food shortages in Ukraine and beyond. With the country’s fertile black soil being a critical component of global grain supplies, the stakes are higher than ever before.
In rural villages, once-thriving agricultural communities are now plagued by abandoned farm equipment, shattered farmhouses, and untold death traps hidden beneath the crops. Farmers and farmworkers continue working in an environment rife with danger, their livelihoods and lives hanging precariously in the balance.
“We can’t just leave the land,” said Olga, a smallholder farmer from the Kharkiv region. “Our families have farmed this land for generations, but it’s getting harder to work safely. Landmines left behind by the Russian army remain a constant threat.”
Olga’s fears are well-founded; since the invasion, there have been numerous reports of farmers being killed or injured by explosive devices while working in the fields. Local authorities estimate that an estimated 300 farmers have lost their lives in Ukraine’s conflict zone since 2022.
The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that agricultural workers are among the most vulnerable groups affected by this ongoing conflict. The WHO emphasizes that poor sanitation and hygiene conditions in the conflict zone, combined with inadequate access to medical care, have led to widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases such as cholera.
“It’s not just the physical danger that’s deadly,” noted Dr. Natalia Ivanova, a Ukrainian agronomic expert based in Kiev. “Malnutrition and poor hygiene have serious long-term consequences for our agricultural workforce, too.”
As the international community seeks to mitigate the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine, farmers and their families remain at risk. Advocates urge policymakers to provide urgently needed support for farm workers, while promoting safer working conditions to ensure the long-term viability of Ukraine’s agricultural sector.
With the next planting season on the horizon, Ukrainian farmers are being called upon to take extraordinary risks to feed a world in need.