Farming Under Fire: The Challenges Facing Ukraine’s Agricultural Sector

Agriculture is often defined by renewal — the steady work of rebuilding soil, strengthening rural communities, and restoring the land’s capacity to nourish both people and ecosystems. While much of our work focuses on advancing these outcomes, the story unfolding in Ukraine offers a stark counterpoint. There, agriculture is not centered on regeneration, but on survival. Fields are mined, infrastructure is damaged, and routine planting and harvesting can carry life-threatening risks as modern warfare disrupts everyday farm work.

Recently, a farmer within our RegenFlix community shared a powerful video documenting the extreme conditions and sacrifices Ukrainian farmers are facing. Seeing this firsthand perspective — and the resilience it revealed — prompted us to share more about this unfolding agricultural crisis with you (scroll down to see the video embedded below).

The example of Ukraine places a clear spotlight on the intentional targeting of agricultural systems as a tactic in modern conflict. Farms, grain storage facilities, irrigation networks, and export infrastructure are not only economic assets — they are foundational to food security and rural stability. When these systems are disrupted, the consequences extend far beyond individual fields.

Farmers and rural families bear the immediate human cost, while regional food access, trade flows, and global agricultural markets can also feel the ripple effects. Staying informed about how and why growing systems are targeted helps all of us better understand the broader implications for food security, rural communities, and agricultural resilience worldwide.

Farming on a battlefield

Ukraine’s agricultural system remains under extraordinary strain -- Ukrainians are literally farming under fire. Farms, grain storage facilities, and processing infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed. Mined fields and unexploded ordnance restrict access to arable land. Drone strikes, equipment losses, labor shortages, and grain theft have transformed everyday farm work into high-risk labor.

Beyond immediate danger, long-term challenges are mounting. Irrigation disruptions, soil contamination, and damaged transport networks threaten productivity across major growing regions — impacts that will echo for years.

For more context on how these attacks affect rural livelihoods and global food security, see Atlantic Council: Russia’s war on Ukrainian farmers threatens global food security and Reuters: Ukraine’s grain, iron ore exports hit by Russian strikes on ports this winter.

A human story from the fields: Farming under fire

Footage documenting these conditions captures the stark reality farmers face. In the video below, drone footage shows Ukrainian farmers working in an open field before a low-flying Russian attack drone begins pursuing them. What starts as routine farm work quickly turns into a frantic attempt to escape — a chilling reminder that food production now unfolds in active conflict zones.

The video also profiles Oleksandr, a farmer in Kherson Oblast, who has helped lead efforts to clear explosive remnants of war from agricultural land. Oleksandr and his team have reportedly demined more than 50,000 hectares across the region, restoring fields so planting can resume. His work reflects a new reality: Ukrainian farmers are not only producers, but frontline land stewards reclaiming their soil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlTnKYTxWOY

For a broader discussion of how farmers are coping with mines, labor loss, and rural disruption, see The Guardian: Farmers turned soldiers, fields full of mines and a rural exodus.

Renewal in the midst of uncertainty

Ukraine’s regeneration will not be measured only in rebuilt cities, but in restored soil and resilient rural livelihoods -- both will take a long time to achieve. Thankfully, the Ukrainians won't have to do it alone. Across the country’s agricultural regions, international soil scientists and agronomists are working with Ukrainian farmers even now to share regenerative techniques like soil health assessment, cover cropping, and conservation practices to protect and improve productivity despite wartime challenges (see University of Maryland soil scientist working with farmers).

In parallel, international organizations including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are supporting emergency and early recovery efforts aimed at restoring agricultural production, improving soil management, and strengthening rural resilience. FAO’s multi-year emergency and recovery plan outlines support for de-mining agricultural land, providing seeds and inputs, restoring irrigation systems, and helping farmers stabilize production under extraordinary conditions. Training and capacity-building initiatives under the Global Soil Partnership are also helping strengthen soil assessment, monitoring, and rehabilitation efforts with Ukrainian scientists and technicians.

Together, these coordinated efforts reflect a broader international commitment to help Ukraine’s farmers not only maintain production during conflict, but lay the groundwork for long-term soil regeneration and food system resilience.

Stay informed and support Ukrainian agriculture

For those who want to follow developments more closely — or contribute to recovery efforts — the following organizations provide credible reporting and direct avenues for support:

• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) -- The FAO publishes regular updates on Ukraine’s agricultural conditions, rural livelihoods, and recovery needs, and leads programs supporting farmers with inputs, livestock assistance, and land restoration.

• World Food Programme (WFP) -- WFP tracks food security impacts and works with local partners to stabilize food systems affected by conflict.

• United24 -- Ukraine’s official fundraising platform supports reconstruction efforts, including demining, infrastructure rebuilding, and agricultural recovery.

• World to Rebuild Rural Ukraine (WRR Ukraine) -- Focused specifically on rural communities and agricultural recovery, WRR Ukraine provides briefings, updates, and opportunities to engage directly in rebuilding efforts. Recently, WRR Ukraine posted an update on the agriculture sector over the last four years on their YouTube channel.