Farming on the frontlines of war is the reality for Ukrainian farmers.
Latifundist Media has partnered with us to provide boots-on-the-ground coverage.
“Now I live in the steppe, 20 km outside the town of Beryslav. My home and business were there. Now there is nothing, only ruins. We have set up trailers right in the field, installed solar panels, and stored grain in sleeves in these fields. That’s how we live and work.”
This is Oleksandr Gordienko, a farmer from the de-occupied part of the Kherson region. He described how farmers live in the 25-kilometer zone from the battlefield.
The farmer admits it is tough to work in places where the war is raging, but there is no other way out, just like the other 11 farmers in the cooperative they formed to survive, as some of them still have their seeders intact, others still have their tractors.
“We demined all of 2023. We recovered more than 5,000 mines from the two thousand acres of our cooperative. Each one had to be found, defused, and removed. In 2024, attack drones are a new threat. Tractors have to work with electronic warfare equipment for enemy drones kill people and destroy machinery.”
We learned about mine clearance in Kharkiv from the State Emergency Service, sourced some info from the Internet, and worked with the military. Right after the de-occupation of part of its areas, Kherson region had just over 100,000 hectares, and now it has nearly 400,000 hectares. These are the areas that have been cleared of mines and are now cultivated
“Before the full-scale war, we used to eat mulberries here on the roadside. And now look at the gifts the Russians have left us. There are anti-tank mines stretching for miles. At least they are clearly seen.”
Oleksandr says they lack equipment and people to work with. Thanks to Howard G. Buffett’s Victory Harvest Foundation, farmers can borrow machinery free of charge, which helps them survive. There is barely anyone to work, men are at war or too afraid to go into the fields full of mines.
We are lucky that retirees from the surrounding villages are eager to help to make a living and are not afraid to walk the mined land.
“But we are struggling to work. Indeed, the conditions are harsh, but we have our families backing us, retirees who work with us, and landowners who also live on the money from the land lease. Giving up is not an option!”
That report was powered by Latifundist Media, with USAID support provided through Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities (AGRO) Activity implemented in Ukraine by Chemonics International. For more information, visit their website or follow them on social media.
