In northern Ukraine, more than 10,000 hectares of arable land damaged by war, with more than 1 mln craters recorded on fields – FAO
The area of agricultural land with potentially contaminated soil in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions has reached 765.13 square kilometers, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported, citing the results of a study of war-damaged land.
According to the report, as of April 1, 2026, over 54,000 square kilometers of war-affected areas in four regions had been mapped. Experts used satellite imagery to analyze 1.13 million cultivated plots. The study identified over 1.09 million craters in fields, and the total area of damaged soil exceeded 10,000 hectares.
"Such data helps us understand which areas require priority attention. This data can be used to plan further surveys, land restoration, and the safe return of these areas to use," the FAO explained.
The results were presented at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine as part of a joint program between the FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP). The study will cover soils in seven regions of Ukraine.
As reported, FAO, together with the World Food Programme (WFP), has been implementing a mine clearance program in Ukraine since June 2023 to support smallholder farmers with land holdings of up to 300 hectares. The organization’s strategic plan for 2026-2028 envisages raising $193 million to restore access to land for 240,000 rural families. The program combines technical field surveys with direct financial assistance to prepare cleared plots for sowing.
Furthermore, in December 2025, FAO, with support from the Qatar Fund for Development, launched a $10 million project to strengthen communities’ mine action capacity. This work is based on a One Health approach, which includes clearing areas of explosive hazards and restoring the biological health of war-damaged soils to ensure safe agricultural production.
