When we first heard the sounds of rocket explosions on Feb. 24, we were most alarmed. It took my entire credit card limit to fill up my car and buy a supply of groceries. At the time, I thought only a few hours remained until the end of normal life. Many Ukrainian farmers say the
A new rural economy emerges in Ukraine
From value-added to more livestock production, farmers in Ukraine have adapted to the conditions of war
Ukraine farmer soldiers on
Contrary to my pessimistic expectations, Ukrainian farmers somehow manage to survive. They harvest and sow winter crops, and some even buy new machinery. Of course, for most farmers, things are not going very well but these people manage to adapt to the most difficult conditions of the war. In particular, I can say this about my current subject,
The rules of war zone production
Cost savings are king for Ukrainian farmers with high costs and uncertainty over exports
“It’s good that you didn’t arrive an hour earlier – three rockets just flew in,” says Denys, an agricultural equipment sales manager who meets me in the city of Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine. For the first time in five months, since the beginning of the war, I’m going on a field trip. Throughout the 10
Dead end for Ukraine grain
Ukrainian farmers may soon be forced to make hard decisions about next season
Two years ago, when the coronavirus pandemic swept over the world, I didn’t worry about Ukrainian farmers at all. They calmly did their work, plowed the land, sowed and harvested. If in Ukrainian cities then there was a difficult situation with COVID-19, then the farmers almost did not notice it. A year earlier, Ukraine’s fields
Ukrainian farmers responsible for wider community during war
Maxym Maksymenko farms just a few miles from the front in southern Ukraine
As I wrote earlier, almost every Ukrainian farmer has to take care of more than just his family. If he cultivates more than 1,000 hectares of land, this means that he is forced to help solve the social problems of the inhabitants of nearby settlements. Moreover, it is completely voluntary, since the state does not
One step away from world hunger
Ukraine’s woes will soon spill over its borders affecting the globe
A month ago, a photo of a peasant household in one of the villages of northern Ukraine liberated from Russian troops spread around social networks. The occupiers deliberately scattered the grain over the dirt so that it could not be used. Something similar already happened in Ukraine in 1932-33, when the deliberate genocide of Ukrainians
Farming behind the lines: Growers in Ukraine plant amid hostilities close by
'We started the sowing campaign by removing rockets from the field'
Viktor and Sergiy Shipov are used to adversity. Viktor established a farming company in southern Ukraine 20 years ago, in the Mykolaiv Oblast, where hellish heat and lack of rainfall can make the land look like the Sahara Desert with yellow dunes. This is a corner of the classic Ukrainian steppe, where rainfall is very
PHOTOS: Unsupplied farmers, risky seeding and blocked shipping lanes
Raging war in Ukraine is set to play havoc with global food supplies
In early April, Ukrainian soldiers expelled Russian invaders from the northern regions of Ukraine: Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions. The wounded enemy left, leaving behind burned-out war machines and the unburied corpses of soldiers. However, the invaders managed to do a lot of damage. Many of you are probably aware of the atrocities uncovered after
Farming behind the lines: Ukraine’s farmers sow amidst wreckage
Despite their best efforts, however, famine looms as war rages
In early April, Ukrainian soldiers expelled the Russian invaders from the northern regions of Ukraine: Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions. The wounded enemy left, leaving behind burned-out war machines and the unburied corpses of his soldiers. However, the invaders managed to do a lot of damage. Many of you are probably aware of the atrocities
Farming behind the lines: Hostages of globalization
Imagine — even if it looks unrealistic — that one day Canada will be cut off from the rest of the world. And all import deliveries to the country will be possible, for example, only through Alaska, only by trains along one route. It sounds absurd, but Ukraine, in the very heart of Europe, is
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
