About the project
«Improving the monitoring of the state of agricultural land affected by military operations»
Problem Statement: Ukraine is one of the leaders in agricultural production among countries worldwide. It is the largest producer of
sunflower oil, a significant global producer of grains, sugar, honey, eggs, and poultry meat. Agricultural production from Ukraine is
recognized by the UN as a crucial element in addressing the world’s food problem. The production of agricultural products is carried out
in three natural-climatic zones: Steppe, Forest-Steppe, and Polissia. In the current stage of global development, it is essential not only to
produce sufficient volumes of agricultural products but also to ensure their quality and environmental safety. The quality of crop
production significantly depends on the state of agricultural land, which covers an area of 42 million hectares. Since February 24, 2022,
Ukraine has been experiencing hostilities with the Russian Federation. As a result of the fighting, a significant portion of agricultural
land in Ukraine has been affected between 2022 and 2023. Direct military clashes are occurring in certain territories, and some areas
have been damaged due to missile strikes. The breach of the dam of the Kakhovka reservoir in the Kherson region on June 6th, 2023,
has led to an environmental catastrophe in southern Ukraine. The consequences of this disaster will be challenging to overcome for
many decades. All of the above complicates Ukraine’s fulfilment of international obligations regarding the export of agricultural
products and exacerbates the global food problem.
Relevance
Hostilities on the territory of Ukraine have left a significant mark on agricultural land: in addition to direct damage to
land, the use of weapons have led to contamination of the soil with chemicals, metals and other toxic elements.
These pollutants can have a long-term negative impact on soil and water quality, jeopardizing the production of safe
agricultural products and Ukraine’s ability to maintain global food security.
Project goal
Improve monitoring of war-affected agricultural land and promote its recovery to stabilize the production of high-
quality products that meet international environmental standards.
Main tasks:
- Purchase of modern equipment for soil analysis
- Assessment of the state of the affected lands
- Exchange of knowledge on land monitoring and restoration technologies
- Promote the project and raise awareness
Expected results:
- Expanding the researches in terms of the area and number of analyzed samples, obtaining more accurate and faster results of laboratory analyzes.
- Taking soil samples and determining the levels of contamination of damaged lands.
- Adapted best practices for monitoring and restoring damaged lands.
- Conducting an information campaign about the project – creating a project website, shooting a video about the project.
