RECOVER - Climate-smart recovery of agriculture on demined land of Ukraine

Research Project, 2025 – 2026

Ukraine is known for its unique and fertile black soils (chernozem), making it one of the largest exporters of food to the EU and the world, contributing to the nourishment of hundreds of millions of people. Due to the war, the production of key crops such as wheat, maize, barley, sunflowers, and rapeseed remains significantly below pre-war levels of 2016–2021.

The extensive shelling has left many craters scattered across large areas of Ukraine, particularly affecting agricultural land with chernozem. These craters are potential sources of contamination that can pose risks when farmers fill them in without proper investigation and risk management, jeopardizing the safety of the food produced. Heavy metals and explosives in the soil from the shelling pose a potential threat, as these contaminants can be taken up by the crops grown in those areas. While EU Regulation 2023/915 on food safety specifies acceptable levels of heavy metals like lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg) to protect consumer health, it does not regulate explosives such as RDX and TNT in food, nor does it address metals like copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and nickel (Ni).

The aim of this project is to build the capacity of authorities and agricultural businesses for a climate-smart recovery of agriculture on demined land, while also supporting adaptation to ISO standards. The objectives of the project are to: (1) compare national standards with ISO standards for soil analysis, (2) sample soils and analyse soil contaminants in the shell craters within a war-affected region, (3) model the uptake of soil contaminants in wheat grains and compare these findings with EU Regulation 2023/915, (4) investigate available nature-based solutions (NBS) for managing soil contaminants in the shell craters, and (5) enhance the capacity of agribusinesses, entrepreneurs, local authorities, and government bodies to comply with ISO standards for soil analysis and effectively manage contamination risks to ensure safe crop production on demined arable land. These efforts target to maintain trust in Ukraine's agricultural products and improve trade conditions both within the country and with international partners, especially the EU. 

NBS involve cost-effective technologies for managing contaminated land, which can attract investments and activate Ukraine's agribusiness and entrepreneurs engaged in land restoration. The project focuses on empowering local and governmental bodies to comply with ISO standards for soil analysis, ensuring soil quality for safe crop production, and reducing health risks posed by residual contaminants in crops. These initiatives are expected to create favorable rule-based conditions for agribusinesses in war-affected regions.