FAO Office Ukraine updates the European Parliament’s AGRI Committee on its activities

The impacts of the war in Ukraine have severely disrupted the country’s agricultural production and food exports, jeopardizing both local and global food security.

Upon invitation by the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) of the European Parliament, Pierre Vauthier, FAO Ukraine Designated Responsible Officer intervened remotely from Ukraine and interacted with the Committee’s Members.

‘’Rural households in Ukraine are increasingly affected by this war as they rely on a diversified but limited agricultural production for their own food consumption and for the displaced persons in rural areas'' said Mr Vauthier during his presentation to the AGRI Committee. ''There is an urgent need to support the country’s farmers and smallholders to increase their resilience and reduce future humanitarian needs for food assistance''.

In 2022, FAO programmes included providing more than 26 000 grain sleeves able to store more than 5 million tonnes of cereals, helping more than 30 000 households with vegetable seeds and seed potatoes in the early planting part of the year, as well as providing more than 5 000 tonnes of winter wheat seeds to small-scale farmers.

FAO has also provided multi-purpose cash assistance to more than 2 000 vulnerable rural households, notably in Dnipropetrovska, Khersonska and Zaporizka oblasts.

For 2023, FAO’s Rapid Response Plan for the country, is based on three pillars of action:

i) Restoring food security and self-sufficiency for half a million rural households in frontline or otherwise heavily-impacted areas through provision of seeds, feed and cash.

ii) Restoring critical production and value chains by providing diesel and gas generators, seeds for wheat, barley, oats and peas, temporary and fixed modular storage units and other needs.

iii) Bolstering critical agrifood system services by supporting testing and certification for alternative grain export routes, restoring veterinary services, partnering with specialized organizations to facilitate the removal of explosive hazards from agricultural lands and conducting damage and loss assessments.

FAO is also carrying out assessments on the impact of the war in Ukraine on agricultural production and livelihoods of rural households and producers, including assessments on the damages and losses in the aquaculture, fishery and forestry sector, to match its response with the needs on the ground.

To read more about FAO’s responses to the war in Ukraine and its impacts on global food security, including data analyses, policy recommendations, and actions on the ground click here.