Russia-Ukraine war: FAO keys into Ukraine’s recovery with small-scale farmers support initiative
By Faridat Salifu
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has unveiled its Emergency and Early Recovery Response Plan for Ukraine for 2026–2028, calling for USD 193 million to support 240,000 rural families and small-scale farmers.
The multi-year initiative aims to safeguard critical agricultural livelihoods, restore productive capacity, and strengthen the country’s agrifood sector despite the ongoing war.
Ukrainian farmers, particularly in frontline regions, face unprecedented challenges.
Damaged infrastructure, restricted access to land due to explosive remnants of war, labour shortages, and rising production costs have disrupted production cycles and weakened market access.
“Ukraine’s rural communities cannot afford a pause between emergency response and recovery,” said Shakhnoza Muminova, Head of FAO in Ukraine.
The plan is designed to bridge that gap by protecting livelihoods, restoring safe land access, and supporting farmers in rebuilding production.
Structured around three pillars—evidence and coordination, emergency agriculture, and early recovery—the plan targets women, youth, internally displaced persons, and returnees.
It also prioritizes rehabilitation of agricultural land contaminated by explosive hazards.
FAO’s ongoing support in Ukraine has already assisted over 300,000 rural families and 17,000 agrifood enterprises with seeds, animal feed, irrigation systems, grain storage, and other inputs to maintain food production under hostilities.
Satellite analysis of 2.37 million hectares identified more than one million craters, with 32,000 hectares prioritized for mine action interventions.
To date, over 22,000 hectares have received targeted support to resume cultivation. FAO emphasizes that continued, predictable assistance is critical to prevent further erosion of productive capacity and ensure agriculture remains a foundation for Ukraine’s recovery and long-term resilience.
Source: Ukraine.un.
