en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is adjusting its support strategy to align with Ukraine's needs as it enters a phase of long-term recovery and development, focusing on restoring agricultural production, bringing war-affected farmland back into use, and driving the transformation of the agri-food system. Raimund Jehle, FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, confirmed the FAO's willingness to support the government's priorities for agricultural recovery and the sector's long-term transformation during a meeting in Kyiv with Oleksiy Sobolev, Ukraine's Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture. The discussions covered how the FAO can further assist war-affected rural populations in restoring their livelihoods, reviving agri-food enterprises, strengthening national systems and policies, and aligning Ukraine's agri-food sector with international standards.

Jehle emphasized the critical importance of mobilizing additional resources for the FAO's 2026–2028 Emergency Response and Early Recovery Plan. This plan requires $193 million to support approximately 240,000 rural families and smallholder farmers. The plan aligns with Ukraine's 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan and complements broader measures to address urgent needs and support the early recovery and long-term development of war-affected rural areas. He also noted that in 2022, FAO support reached approximately 300,000 rural families and 17,000 farming households across Ukraine, in the form of emergency agricultural assistance, cash and voucher support, grants, storage solutions, technical assistance, and recovery actions related to demining.

One of the key priorities for support is helping farmers resume production in areas contaminated by landmines and explosive remnants of war. Over the past three years, the FAO, together with partners including the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), has mobilized approximately $30 million to support the restoration of agricultural production in demining operations. Specific efforts include prioritizing land, assessing soil conditions, and providing decision-making support for safe agricultural production. To ensure this transition, the FAO is developing its 2026–2030 Recovery and Development Strategy for Ukraine. This strategy will serve as the foundation for the FAO's long-term operations in Ukraine, aiming to more closely align its support with Ukraine's national priorities for recovery, economic growth, and European integration, and to help expand the partnerships and investments needed for agri-food value chain development, innovation introduction, and accelerating the transformation of Ukraine's agri-food system.