Farming the Black Earth: The History and Politics of Ukraine’s Agricultural Land Market before, during, and after Russia’s War

• In Event: Nature and Politics

Abstract

Agriculture is a central pillar of the Ukraine’s economy and future development, and fertile farmland is one of the country’s most valuable resources. In 2020, new amendments to the Ukrainian Land Code laid the legal and institutional foundation for the gradual liberalization of the land market starting in 2021. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the ongoing war has interrupted these historically important and ambitious land reform, raising new questions about how Ukraine should proceed with the creation of land markets. This paper has two goals: one, it examines how the war is affecting ongoing land reforms, and secondly, it outlines how pre-war political dynamics may shape the post-war trajectory of land reforms. It concludes by arguing that Ukrainian policy makers need to balance the need for large-scale investments in infrastructure destroyed during the war, with the need to respond to public concerns about land concentration and the uncertainties caused by the war.

Author

• Susanne Alice Wengle, U of Notre Dame