Summary

After the war in Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of hectares will have to be surveyed and demined and countless craters will have to be refilled. A recent study by Wageningen University & Research estimates that restoring Ukrainian agricultural soils after the war will cost at least 20 billion dollars.

The Ukrainian region of Kharkiv has some of the most fertile soil in the world, producing grain for local and global markets. After the Russian invasion in 2022, however, wheat production dropped by more than half. Over 160.000 hectares of land in Kharkiv have been damaged by the war. The region is marred by 420.000 craters.

‘There is an assumption that Ukrainian food production can return to normal after the war’, says Wilfred Dolfsma, professor of Business Management and Organisation at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). ‘Unfortunately, that is not the case.’

Together with colleagues from Ukrainian and Dutch universities, Dolfsma estimated the cost of restoring Kharkiv’s agricultural soil after the war. The researchers first analysed the damage to the landscape using high-resolution satellite imagery. This method was previously applied in conflict zones like Syria and Darfur. They then calculated the cost of surveying and demining the soil, filling craters and other steps that will have to be taken to restore agriculture: at least 2 billion dollars.

Reference

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