Damage to small farmers from the war amounted to almost $4 billion

The results of a survey by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) indicate that the war in Ukraine and its economic consequences have caused significant damage to the production and income of small farmers. Thus, the total amount of damages and losses for agricultural enterprises cultivating up to 250 hectares is estimated at $3.85 billion in the crop and livestock sectors.

At the same time, almost 12% of small agricultural enterprises reported that part of their land is potentially contaminated with unexploded ordnance. Front-line regions were the most affected, where 32% of respondents reported this. In addition, small farmers have increased their debt compared to the same period before the war, from 6% in 2021 to 9% in 2022. At the same time, about 9% of respondents reported that resellers stopped their activities or were unable to purchase more products.

It is also noted that the total number of small producers has decreased by 8%, of which 1% are producers of livestock products, and the rest, almost 7%, are producers of plant products that have completely stopped their production.