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The war in Ukraine has implications for food security around the world because this country is a world “breadbasket.” With Russia's invasion, farmers that should be tending their crops are at the front, defending their country, leaving large swaths of farmland uncultivated this year, due to constant Russian shelling and plundering of Ukrainian territory.
Furthermore, Russia has been bombing food storage facilities, while stealing farm equipment and grain commodities. As a result of the latest bombardments on Kharkiv, Ukraine's only Plant Genetic Resources Bank has been destroyed. Russia’s heartless, planned strategy of destroying Ukraine’s agriculture is becoming a global issue, as this will endanger food security on a planetary scale! This is beyond evil and in a world where food insecurity affects already one billion people for climate change-related causes, thinking that this tragic conflict could amplify food crises farther is unacceptable.
Thus, the global community and its leaders should act against this unfolding food crisis by:
- Assisting Ukraine with all means to defend itself against this unjust attack.
- Stopping immediately all purchases of fossil fuels and other goods from Russia.
- Demanding that Russia returns all stolen agricultural machinery and grain.
- Condemning publicly the destruction of the Plant Genetic Resources Bank, to decry this military attack against a non-military target as a crime against humanity.
Bruno Borsari and Jan Kunnas, Winona
