The heroine of this story is Polina Zhovtyak. Not only is her husband fighting, but also her daughter, Kateryna, who became a volunteer soldier. That is why Polina has to develop the business of producing elite cheese and ecological bird eggs, unique for Ukraine, on her own. And she succeeds, but admits it can be struggle.
From Ukraine: Keeping the home fires burning
As her husband and daughter serve in the Ukrainian army, Polina Zhovtyak keeps the family businesses running
War teaches Ukrainian farmers tough lessons
As the war approaches its second anniversary, the farmers who adapted earliest have been in the best position to survive
Feb. 24 marks two years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It seems like a short time, but it has caused huge upheaval in our society. Hundreds of thousands have died and millions have lost their homes.
What is war fatigue?
If the West is 'tired' of the war in Ukraine, consider the reality of Ukrainians
As we approached the end of December, my mood, like that of most Ukrainians, was not at all Christmassy. The heroic achievement of 2022, when our lives hung in the balance and our defenders managed to repel the enemy, was replaced by the bloody routine of 2023.
Ukrainian farmers’ history of making do pays off in wartime
First person: over the past 20 months, hundreds of thousands of civillian vehicles have passed through the crucible of war
The technical arsenal of farmers who cultivate small acreages is extremely varied. They have small tillers to which trailers are attached, and tiny, sometimes homemade, tractors. Sometimes you can even see a small field being plowed with the help of horses. We still have horse-drawn carts, although this is rare. In my town, there is only one horse left. My friend keeps him at home as a pet. In his youth, my friend worked at a stable and retained his love for horses.
From Ukraine: Rebuilding the farm from the rubble
Hryhoriy Tkachenko revives his farm after the occupation leaves animal buildings, equipment destroyed
Glacier FarmMedia – One and a half years have passed since the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine. The farm of Hryhoriy Tkachenko came under attack in the first days of the war. During the three weeks of occupation, the farm was so badly damaged that he still cannot restore everything. It was the near-total […] Read more
From Ukraine: Farmers prepare for the onslaught of the desert
When the Nova Kakhovka dam was breached, it lit the fuse on slow motion agricultural disaster
To an enormous country like Canada, Ukraine might seem small, but it is the largest country that exists entirely within Europe. There are many natural landscapes present here — forests, mountains, forest-steppe (what you know as the parkland in Western Canada) and steppe (prairie). There is even a small strip of subtropics with palm trees […] Read more
From Ukraine: the living and the dead
As summer approaches, thoughts turn to harsh times yet to come
A centuries-old spring tradition has been preserved in Ukraine, through the communist occupation of the last century and the current war. Every year, a week after Easter, we go to cemeteries. Tens of millions of people dress in nice clothes and take food with them. Coloured eggs — krashanky — and special tall breads — […] Read more
From Ukraine: Driven from his fields
Ukrainian farmer hopes to see his farm liberated from Russian invaders
Glacier FarmMedia – From time to time, Oleh visits the positions of troops on the front lines of war in east Ukraine. While there, he looks hopefully to the horizon. There, just one mile away, are his fields, shop and grain warehouse now occupied by Russian invaders. I will not write Oleh’s last name, nor […] Read more
Ukraine farmer soldiers on
Oleksandr Shevchuk keeps his business working during war, while aiding army and refugees
Glacier FarmMedia – Contrary to my pessimistic expectations, Ukrainian farmers somehow manage to survive. They harvest and sow winter crops, and some even buy new machinery. Of course, for most farmers, things are not going very well but these people manage to adapt to the most difficult conditions of the war. In particular, I can […] Read more
Opinion: Grain dead end
Ukrainian farmers may soon be forced to make hard decisions about next season
Glacier FarmMedia – Two years ago, when the coronavirus pandemic swept the world, I didn’t worry about Ukrainian farmers at all. They calmly did their work, plowed the land, sowed and harvested. If in Ukrainian cities there was a difficult situation with COVID-19, the farmers almost did not notice it. A year earlier, Ukraine’s fields […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
