With the arrival of spring, small-scale farmers in the conflict-affected Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine are ready to get back to farming. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will be there to help, with initial assistance valued at US$ 800,000, the Organization announced today.

Conflict in eastern Ukraine has hobbled small farms and larger enterprises alike, according to a needs assessment conducted by FAO and Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food. Crops abandoned, machinery burned, livestock killed or stolen – these are just some of the losses suffered. Many farmers are now ready to resume their activities but will need immediate assistance if they are to succeed.  FAO has allocated a total of US$ 800,000 from its own budget and the Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation (SFERA) for provision of emergency inputs in the region, including spring vegetable seed, fertilizer and animal feed. To oversee the operation, the Organization has established an office in Kramatorsk, in northern Donetsk region, and stationed an emergency response manager in Kiev.