United Nations helps farmers regain safe access to agricultural land in Ukraine

Thousands of hectares of agricultural land in Khersonska oblast in Ukraine remain uncultivated due to explosive ordnance contamination combined with prolonged drought and the destruction of irrigation systems, preventing farmers from cultivating their land and rebuilding their livelihoods. Taken together, these overlapping crises have reduced agricultural output in the oblast by more than 98 percent since the onset of the full-scale invasion.

To help Ukrainian farming communities safely return to agricultural production, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) have launched a new joint project funded through the Ukraine Community Recovery Fund (UCRF). Implemented over 2026–2027, the initiative will cover the Borozenska, Kalynivska, Velykooleksandrivska and Vysokopilska communities of Khersonska oblast, where more than 34 000 ha of arable land remain uncultivated. The project will provide targeted support to 110 small-scale agricultural producers in these communities.

“For many rural communities in Khersonska oblast, recovery begins with a safe return to their land,” said Matthias Schmale, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine. “When fields cannot be used, families lose income, local economies weaken, and communities remain dependent on support. Through the UCRF, the UN is helping create the conditions for people to work their land again and rebuild their livelihoods.”

The project will support the analysis of contaminated agricultural land to identify where clearance is most urgently needed to enable the fastest and most effective recovery of agricultural production. It will also expand the non-technical survey and risk education capacity of the Kherson Regional Municipal Emergency and Rescue Service and help ensure that safely released land is quickly returned to productive use.

FAO will use geospatial analysis and work closely with national authorities to inform the selection of areas where mine action and agricultural support can have the greatest effect on restoring production. Selected farmers will receive financial support to purchase essential agricultural inputs, including drought-adapted seeds, drip irrigation kits and other materials needed to restart production, complemented by agronomic guidance and dedicated support in applying for national compensation programmes for humanitarian demining.

“In Khersonska oblast, warfare contamination and drought have not struck separately,” said Shakhnoza Muminova, Head of the FAO Office in Ukraine. “They have compounded each other, leaving farmers with land they cannot safely reach and harvests they cannot afford to lose. By addressing both at once, this project gives farming families a genuine pathway back to production.”

To translate this commitment into action, a call for applications has already been launched through the State Agrarian Registry, inviting small-scale farmers from the targeted communities to apply for mine action and agricultural support. The call is open to producers whose land has been affected by hostilities and drought, and applications can be submitted until 1 June 2026. This programme is designed to help the most vulnerable agricultural producers, with particular attention given to women farmers and those whose land has remained uncultivated since 2022. 

Farmers identified through the call will be prioritized for the non-technical survey, which UNOPS will conduct in partnership with the Kherson Regional Municipal Emergency and Rescue Service. UNOPS will lead the mine action component of the project, enhancing the operational capacity of the Service through specialized training, mentoring and equipment while helping ensure that survey data is verified and integrated into national mine action systems. In parallel, an awareness-raising campaign promoting safe behaviour will reach an estimated 40 000 residents across the targeted communities.

“In Khersonska oblast, mine action is not only about addressing explosive hazards,” said Massimo Diana, Director of the UNOPS Multi-Country Office for Ukraine and East Europe. “It is about restoring safety, confidence and the conditions for communities to recover. Through this joint project, we are helping strengthen the capacities of mine action teams while also supporting communities with the knowledge needed to reduce risks and stay safe. This combination of immediate protection and longer-term institutional capacity is essential for recovery in areas heavily affected by contamination.”

Together, these efforts embody the humanitarian–development nexus in practice: Mine action does not stop at land release, and agricultural recovery does not begin until the land is safe. By sequencing surveys, risk education and livelihood support within a single integrated framework, the project helps ensure that humanitarian investment in Khersonska oblast translates directly into development outcomes in Ukraine: restored production, rebuilt rural economies and communities no longer dependent on external assistance.

The project is implemented in close coordination with the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, the Kherson Oblast Administration and local mine action partners, contributing to national recovery priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2025–2029.