Blueprint for an Agricultural Recovery Plan for Ukraine

Urgent measures are recommended for immediate implementation in the next year to restore the basic functioning of Ukraine’s agriculture sector and ensure Ukrainian food exports flow freely to global markets.

• Restore production, transportation, storage, and irrigation infrastructure, with considerations for EU standards, predicted climate change impacts, and the war’s effects on Ukraine’s agricultural trade flows.
• Recultivate farmland and develop the land market to attract foreign investment and ensure that farming activities can be resumed safely and profitably.
• Provide and expand financial support for farmers to support the continued function of Ukraine’s agriculture sector and its role in safeguarding global food security.

Short-term recommendations emphasize the stabilization and expansion of economic opportunities for both producers and foreign investors in Ukraine’s agriculture sector.

• Diversify Ukraine’s export structure and increase the competitiveness of Ukrainian agricultural goods on global markets through an integrated approach to agricultural and international trade, improving upon prewar export infrastructure and trade regulations.
• Develop Ukraine’s agricultural labor force and education programs to preserve the productivity of existing personnel, incentivize employment in agriculture, and prepare new agricultural workers—including veterans, women, and young people—for long-term contributions to the sector’s development.

Medium-term measures center around the development of an agriculture sector that is sustainable, modernized, and competitive in global markets.

• Strengthen rural agricultural communities through financial support, infrastructure development, and rural entrepreneurship incentives to support Ukraine’s postwar recovery and economic resilience.
• Develop Ukraine’s livestock production to strengthen self-sufficiency in livestock products, better integrate Ukraine’s crop–livestock–food processing value chain, and increase Ukraine’s high-value agricultural exports.

Long-term recovery measures aim to culminate in the integration of a climate-resilient, modernized agriculture sector into the global agricultural economy.

• Integrate Ukraine’s agricultural sector into the European Union in line with requirements for strengthened quality control and regulations, modernized trade infrastructure at EU borders, advanced certification processes for improved market access, and deepened economic and agricultural cooperation with the bloc.
• Adapt Ukraine’s agriculture sector to climate change, as climate risks elevate the need for efficient irrigation and water use systems, a skilled agricultural labor force, and educational and advisory services to integrate practices into Ukraine’s farming system.
• Develop Ukraine’s food processing industry to strengthen the country’s capacity to export finished, high-value food products to increase national budget revenue, improve food self-sufficiency, and further strengthen Ukraine’s role as a major global food supplier.

Ukraine’s agricultural recovery is a complex and long-term process requiring multidisciplinary and coordinated approaches. A phased recovery framework should distinguish the four interconnected stages—urgent, short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures—with one cross-cutting priority remaining central: incentivizing foreign investment in Ukraine’s agriculture sector. Despite wartime risks, Ukraine’s agriculture sector continues to demonstrate resilience, reflecting the confidence investors have in its long-term potential. In coordinating recovery efforts around this staged and interconnected framework, Ukraine’s agriculture sector can leverage foreign investment not only to address the war’s consequences but to further Ukrainian agribusiness as one of the most attractive destinations for international investors.

This report is made possible by the generous support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. HGBF played no role in the production of this report. The views expressed in this report are of the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program alone.