Destruction and devastation litter the Ukrainian countryside. Farms have turned into battlegrounds as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stretches into another month, as Clinton Griffiths reports for The Scoop.
Grynyshyn had a career giving agricultural tours in Ukraine and around the world. That changed in an instant. After getting family, including his own children to safety, he’s now focused on raising awareness and support for his farmer friends back home.
Landmines and munitions (military weapons, ammunition and equipment) now litter fields. Farmers working those fields are wearing flak jackets and helmets.
“The farmer goes into the field wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet in the tractor knowing there might be a mine, but he’s still going and planting. Why? Because he knows he needs to pay the landholders,” Grynyshyn says. “He has to pay this money for the rental of the land because they will also depend upon him.”
While the fighting in Ukraine may be isolated, the impacts are global. In a typical year, Ukraine is estimated to help feed 400 million people around the world.
Source: The Scoop. Read the full story and watch a video here
Cover photo: Ukrainian farmers are worried about landmines buried in their fields. Credit and courtesy The Scoop
