While planting season is gearing up in the United States, fieldwork is also set to begin in Ukraine.
Latifundist Media has partnered with us to provide boots-on-the-ground coverage.
The third wartime planting campaign has started in Ukraine. Farmers have mostly adapted to the new conditions and continue to work.
However, still not all of them can afford the inputs. This particularly concerns those producers located close to the frontline. To address food insecurity in Ukraine’s frontline and de-occupied communities, in March, USAID provided vegetable seeds to more than 200,000 households.
Food security is adversely affected by this war. I would like to thank those farmers who continue to grow crops despite the shelling and mines. For helping to sustain stability in the country. Residents of the frontline and de-occupied communities, as well as internally displaced persons and large and low-income families in other regions, will be able to grow about 115,000 tonы of vegetables.
Taras Didych, a village head in Kyiv region, comments on how important it is for small businesses and people who have their own land to cultivate vegetables.
“The occupation has shown how important it is when people grow vegetables on their private plots and in gardens. The villagers said that as long as there were potatoes, beetroot and pickled tomatoes in the cellar, we would not starve. Sure, it was hard to buy bread and other products that you normally buy in a store, but we didn’t starve. Yes, we lost some weight, but there was plenty to eat.”
It is important to help retired people, especially those who cannot always afford to buy seeds, he adds. They will not only produce vegetables for themselves, but also earn some extra money and supply the Ukrainian market. Ukrainian farmers living in relatively safe regions, far from the frontline, are assisting those in dire need.
As part of the United Communities project, more than 2,000 tons of food products have been delivered to the de-occupied territories or those close to the combat zone.
“I have many times brought aid to the most dangerous places. And I saw that many people stay there, refuse to leave their homes. They have nowhere to go or no money. We cannot abandon them. So if people choose to stay there, our task is to do everything in our power to make their stay as comfortable and well-provided as possible.”
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.
