Prospects of ensuring the food security of Ukraine during the war

Abstract

For many years, Ukraine has held a leading position in the world in terms of agricultural exports. However, Russia’s military aggression has highlighted the need for Ukraine to ensure its own food security. The article aims to identify potential ways to ensure food security in Ukraine in the short term based on an analysis of the steps already taken by all stakeholders to achieve it in wartime. The risks of ensuring food security in Ukraine and around the world are outlined. In particular, the war will lead to the loss of the country’s export potential and hinder the full functioning of the agricultural sector of the economy, while uncertainty regarding the duration of the war carries a potential risk of famine in Asian and African countries importing Ukrainian agricultural products. A gap in the work of the Ukrainian Government in the pre-war period due to the lack of a long-term food security strategy that was bound to be approved in 2021 in Ukraine is emphasized. The country's potential for agricultural products by region during the war is analyzed and critically assessed. The results indicate potential losses of agricultural products due to hostilities in traditionally agricultural regions in the south and east of Ukraine. Within the country, there have been changes in the structure of sown areas to ensure food security in the short term. The steps taken in the first month of the war to strengthen Ukraine’s food security and preserve its export potential are ranged in terms of stakeholder groups. Among them, the article outlines the measures implemented by state institutions at the national level, support measures implemented at the local level, corporate social responsibility, public initiative, and international assistance. To strengthen the country's food security, the need to intensify work at the level of local communities to inform households about the possibility of improving crop production by attracting quality imported seeds is emphasized. Local governments can involve advisory services to improve the processes of growing products and ways to sell their surpluses. It is also advisable for local governments to provide subsidized support to households that keep cattle. Only the unification of all stakeholders - the state, local governments, businesses, households, and international partners - will ensure food security in Ukraine and, consequently, in the countries importing Ukrainian agricultural products.