Often described as the breadbasket of Europe, agriculture is a central component to Ukraine’s economy and employs nearly 17 percent of the country’s working population. According to the FAO, the primary food security concern resulting from the conflict is food access rather than food availability due to a lack of viable export channels. Additionally, decreased fuel availability and the conversion of farmland into battlegrounds in occupied areas, spark farmers’ concerns to sow crops during the spring planting season.

In this special episode, we speak with Kees Huizinga, a Dutch farmer farming in Ukraine, about his farming experience in a country at war, who will be the most affected by the resulting food insecurity, and how you can help make strides toward establishing peace and increasing food security.

Listen to the podcast here.

"For a food secure world, you need peace." - Kornelis ‘Kees’ Huizinga, farmer in Ukraine.

Kornelis ‘Kees’ Huizinga has farmed in central Ukraine for 20 years, growing onions, carrots, wheat, barley, canola, sugar beet, corn, sunflowers and navy beans. They also have a modern dairy farm. Kees is a member of the Global Farmer Network.

"A lot of people, when they think of food security, think the responsibliity only lies with the farmers who are growing the food, but really, it's the responsibility of everyone." - Bev Flatt, farmer in USA

Bev Flatt owns and operates a 170-acre family farm with her husband James. Together, they have established Flatt Rock Farms to produce beef cattle, meat and dairy goats, hay, and seasonal gardens with plans to expand in the future. Furthermore, Bev is active in her community through variety of organizations. She was selected to represent the United States at the Global Youth Ag Summit in Canberra, Australia in 2015 where she worked with 100 other youth delegates from around the world to develop a declaration that was presented before the United Nations Committee for Food and Agricultural Organizations in Rome, Italy.

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