Gardening in extreme conditions is not an educational program anywhere. Ukrainians in the combat zone are learning this from their own personal experience. Many people in other countries believe that this is a useful experience that should be taught to the population in peacetime.

The labour market in Ukraine has collapsed. Because of the war, 8.6 million citizens left the country. The total population dropped to 29 million people. Only 9.1-9.5 Ukrainians are officially employed. Of these, 2-3 million people receive salaries from the state budget. These people are teachers, firefighters, officials, doctors and representatives of other professions who work for the state. That is, only 6-7 million people work in the commercial sphere.¹ It is these people who support the rest of the population of 22-23 million people through taxes. This is a very big difference between working and non-working people. Each working person must support 3-4 non-working people. It’s very hard! Therefore, there is not enough money in the budget. Pensions and benefits are very small. This forces Ukrainians to remember the experience of their ancestors and begin to engage in agriculture. After all, Ukraine has always been an agricultural country. Fortunately, this still exists.

Ukrainians and land plots

In Ukraine, 31.6 per cent of the population lives in rural areas.² But almost 45 per cent of the population owns land.³ The share of the rural population is almost not decreasing. On average, each year the decrease in this indicator is only 0.33 per cent.²

For comparison, the share of Ukrainians wishing to sell their land is decreasing faster. Before the start of the war, in December 2021, only 5 per cent of Ukrainians wanted to sell a plot of land. In 2011, 10 per cent of Ukrainians wanted to sell their land! That is, every year the share of landowners wishing to sell land decreased by 0.5 per cent. During the same period, the share of the population wishing to buy a plot of land increased from 5.5 per cent to 5.8 per cent.⁴

That is, Ukrainians love land and believe that it is a good object for investment.

The Ukrainian government supports the people’s desire to own land. Current legislation gives every citizen of the country the right to receive land free of charge. Ukrainians can receive free plots of land that can be used for five purposes. The size of these plots of land depends on the purpose and locations:

• for personal agriculture – no more than 4.94 acres (2.0 ha);
• for gardening – no more than 0.29 acres (0.12 ha);
• for the construction and maintenance of a residential building, utility buildings and structures (garden plot) in villages – no more than 0.61 acres (0.25 hectares), in towns – no more than 0.37 acres (0.15 hectares), in cities – no more than 0.24 acres (0.10 ha);
• for individual summer cottage construction – no more than 0.24 acres (0.10 ha);
• for the construction of individual garages – no more than 0.024 acres (0.01 ha).

Even during the war, land plots remained attractive to Ukrainians. Parliament adopted a special law that allows, despite military restrictions, to provide land plots to the Ukrainian military!⁶ All land plots provided to citizens free of charge are exempt from paying land tax.⁷

Also, public organisations and authorities regularly make various initiatives for the development of agriculture. This is done especially actively during war. For example, in Ukraine the charity initiative “BORSCH” was launched. In 2022, about 1 million families received free seeds to grow vegetables, which are used to cook the popular Borsch food in Ukraine. These are seeds of onions, carrots, beets, cabbage, and potatoes.⁸ The seeds of these plants were received by residents of regions close to the fighting.

Lack of money, good legislation, support from the state and public organisations make gardening a popular activity. After the start of the war, 59 per cent of Ukrainians reported that they began to plant vegetables and fruits. Nine per cent of Ukrainians do this without having their own land. To do this, they use no-man’s land or the land of relatives or neighbours. Eighty-three per cent of rural residents, 65 per cent of residents of small towns and 50 per cent of residents of large cities are engaged in gardening.⁹

Far from hostilities, the preferences of Ukrainian gardeners have not changed. However, near combat operations everything is different.

Life hack for gardening in a war zone

War means a shortage of water, money and time. Some fruits or vegetables can be grown under such conditions. These vegetables are healthy, but not the most popular in Ukraine. That is, in a combat zone the agricultural strategy will have to change. People need to grow affordable vegetables and buy all other vegetables.

In peacetime, the most popular vegetable in Ukraine was potato, which provided 14 per cent of the total volume of fruits and vegetables sold. Also popular were cabbage (9 per cent), onion (8 per cent), tomato (7 per cent), carrot (7 per cent), cucumber (4 per cent), and watermelon (4 per cent).¹⁰ Away from the fighting, these vegetables remained popular. But near military operations, growing these vegetables is very difficult and even impossible.

Potatoes require a lot of money, a lot of labour and chemicals. After planting, this vegetable must be hilled several times. This means that the gardener needs to support the potato stems with earthen mounds. Potatoes must also be constantly freed from wild grass. It takes a lot of time. Potatoes must be sprayed with special poisons against parasite “Colorado beetle” that eats potato leaves. Special products are not cheap. Also, to spray chemicals, the gardener needs a special equipment. And this is expensive. As a result, even if the gardener does everything, there may not be a harvest. In hot summers, without watering, potatoes grow small and will not recoup the costs and labour. Potatoes are very difficult to grow in resource-poor environments.

Carrots and watermelons do not require a lot of money and labour. But these plants need to be watered often. When there is a shortage of water or electricity for pumps, this is not possible. As a result, gardeners have to give up on this.

Planting cabbage, cucumbers, onions and tomatoes is expensive. These plants are not planted using seeds. Seedlings are used for this. These young plants are specially grown in greenhouses. Usually these young plants are grown by experienced villagers and then sold to other villagers. That’s why the price is so high. These plants also need to be watered frequently. The high cost and need for watering make growing these plants unattractive.

What can gardeners grow?

Dill. The seeds of these plants are very cheap. For example, 100 gr. Dill seeds cost only US$0,67*. Dill does not require watering or much labour, because the plant ripens very quickly. If dill is planted before March 20, the harvest can be harvested in mid-May. By this time there is still no summer heat and no large wild grass. Therefore, the plant is watered only at the time of planting and is usually not freed from wild grass. Young dill is cut from the beds, then finely cut and dried. This is a great seasoning for any meal. Gardeners can plant parsley in the same way.

Peas. This plant grows as quickly as dill. Therefore there are no problems either. Two hundred pea seeds cost only US$0,90. Peas can only be watered at the time of planting. Also, this plant does not need to be watered and freed from wild grass. If a gardener plants peas at the end of March, then the harvest can be harvested at the end of May. Peas are usually frozen or dried. Peas are often used to make pea soup or Olivier salad.

Zucchini. 20 gr. zucchini seeds cost US$0.60. This plant does not need to be watered. It is necessary to water only at the time of planting. Wild grass only needs to be removed one or two times. Zucchini will then grow and prevent wild grass from growing. Zucchini leaves are so large that grass cannot grow under these leaves. If a gardener plants zucchini at the beginning of April, the first harvest will be at the end of June. The last harvest may be in October! This is a very unpretentious plant. Young zucchini can be fried, frozen or canned. Zucchini is an excellent substitute for cucumbers in a war zone.

Corn. 20 gr. corn seeds cost $0.55. Corn is watered during planting and gardeners don’t have to water or clean up the wild grass. If gardeners plant corn at the beginning of April, the first harvest will be at the end of June. Usually the corn is boiled. Corn is delicious and an alternative to expensive fruits.

Perhaps these are not all plants that are convenient to grow in a combat zone. All of the above is the personal experience of the author of this article, who has been gardening for three years 20 miles from the battles with the Russian army. In general, the experience of extreme gardening is not studied centrally. The population is not trained in farming in extreme conditions, including during war. And this is wrong. Because the lives of many people depend on these skills. It’s not just about getting food but also maintaining a good psychological state. After all, gardening is wonderful therapy for the soul.

But what do gardeners and opinion leaders think about it? Australian Rural & Regional News asked them this question:

ARR.News: Do you think it is necessary for the state to teach the population how to grow vegetables during extreme situations? We are talking about gardening skills that can help people survive in major natural disasters and military conflicts, when there is a shortage of food and problems with food delivery.

“It would be a plus to provide gardening education, to include providing seed programs, that would help people become more self-sufficient and better prepared in case of an emergency and access to food may be limited. However, it is also very important that ‘we the people’ take the initiative to learn these skills on our own”,
– said Policy and Law Strategist, Sabrina Newby.

“I think this is a great idea. Ukrainians love farming. The situation in the country is difficult. Many people, especially in cities, would like to gain knowledge in this area”,
– says gardener Svetlana Khromova.

“Yes…In addition to the obvious sustaining life features, survival skills should be taught across the board. Water and food are essential for survival. A throwback to agrarian skillsets could teach many lessons. Crop development from seed to table can provide a perspective that promotes gratitude for the things we often take for granted. Cultivation methods…crop rotation, irrigation, soil conditions, sunlight etc. are components for healthy growth, touch upon the necessities for success. A seemingly simple question can inspire complex though patterns”,
– said Social activist and candidate for the New York City Council as a Republican and Conservative Party in 2023 for the 13th District New York, George Havranek.

As we see, people think this is a good idea. But apparently it takes time to do this. Governments of different countries will study the experience of the war in Ukraine. And then officials will change the internal policies within their states. In the meantime, Ukrainians, through their own experience, are creating the basis for these changes in other countries. Ukrainians deserve your applause.

*Here and below are prices on the market of the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine.

References

1. https://www.unian.net/society/skolko-lyudey-seychas-prozhivaet-v-ukraine-sociologi-porazili-ciframi-12282726.html
2. https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Население_Украины
3. https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Рынокземлина_Украине
4. https://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/rynok-zemli-skolko-ukraintsev-planiruyut-1632733130.html
5. https://jurliga.ligazakon.net/ru/aktualno/8293_kak-besplatno-poluchit-zemelnyy-uchastok-v-ukraine
6. https://vikna.tv/ru/dlia-tebe/ekonomiya/kak-uchastniku-boevyh-dejstvij-poluchit-zemelnyj-uchastok/
7. https://biz.nv.ua/economics/nalog-na-zemlyu-2022-skolko-komu-i-kogda-platit-kak-rasschitat-novosti-ukrainy-50217675.html
8. https://agroportal.ua/ru/news/ukraina/v-ukrajini-1-mln-domogospodarstv-bezkoshtovno-otrimayut-nasinnya-borshchovogo-naboru
9. https://agroportal.ua/ru/news/rastenievodstvo/bilshe-polovini-ukrajinciv-planuye-sadati-gorod-cogo-roku
10. https://east-fruit.com/novosti/kakie-10-ovoshchey-i-fruktov-prinosyat-70-vyruchki-supermarketam-ukrainy/