In northern Ukraine, over 10,000 hectares of arable land have been damaged by the war – FAO

The area of agricultural lands with potentially contaminated soils in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions has reached 765.13 square kilometers, reported the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) citing the results of a study of war-damaged lands. According to the report, as of April 1, 2026, over 54 thousand square kilometers of war-affected territories in four regions have been mapped. Experts analyzed 1.13 million cultivated plots using satellite imagery. The study recorded over 1.09 million craters in the fields, and the total area of damaged soils exceeded 10 thousand hectares. "Such data help to understand which areas need immediate attention. Based on them, further surveys, land restoration, and the safe return of these territories to use can be planned," explained the FAO. The presentation of the results took place at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine within the joint program of the FAO and the World Food ...