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Freedom251 › Blog › farmer safety

What Farmers Should Know Before Returning to Farmland After Conflict

By Freedom251 Team · · 11 min read

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Do not return to a field merely because fighting has stopped, the ground looks undisturbed, or another person has entered it. Wait for confirmation from the responsible local mine-action authority or civil-protection service that the exact plot and the routes to it have been surveyed and officially released. Then treat explosive hazards, soil contamination, land rights and damaged infrastructure as separate checks.

This country-neutral guide explains a safe sequence. Local authorities must supply the current reporting channel, plot-specific clearance status, soil-testing rules and land-access procedures.

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1. Make official clearance the first condition of return

A field can contain landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) or other explosive remnants of war long after combat ends. Vegetation, weather, cultivation, flooding and deliberate concealment can hide them. A ceasefire, a normal-looking field, a neighbor’s use or an old family route does not prove that land is safe.

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Individual observation cannot certify a plot. Under the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) framework, land release depends on competent survey and clearance: suspected areas are investigated, marked where necessary, and hazards are removed and destroyed. Ask the authority responsible for mine action whether your exact parcel has been assessed and released, not whether the wider village or district is considered clear.

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UNMAS risk education focuses on three actions: recognize possible hazards, avoid them and report them. Those actions apply to farmers, family members, workers, children, visitors and anyone using access roads or water points.

What to verify before anyone travels

  • The field identification used by the authority (plot number, coordinates, cadastral reference or another precise description).
  • The access road, tracks, bridges, field entrances, irrigation channels, wells, ponds, storage buildings and areas where machinery is parked.
  • Whether the plot was cleared, reduced through survey, or is still only suspected or marked.
  • Whether the release covers the whole parcel or only a defined section.
  • Any conditions that apply, such as a required escort, restricted route, seasonal re-inspection or prohibition on disturbing marked ground.

Contact the locally designated mine-action authority, civil-protection office, municipal authority or an established humanitarian mine-action organization. Because procedures and hotlines differ by country, obtain the current channel locally rather than relying on an old number, social-media post or informal advice.

2. Follow warnings and never investigate an object yourself

Stay outside marked hazardous areas and obey barriers, signs, tape and local instructions. Do not enter to retrieve a tractor, animal, tool, crop, fuel container or personal item. Do not dig, probe, kick, burn, photograph at close range, dismantle or move a suspicious object. Do not use a consumer metal detector as a clearance method; it cannot replace professional survey, excavation and disposal.

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If you see something suspicious

  1. Stop immediately and keep still until you can identify a safe way back along your own known route. Avoid stepping on ground you have not already crossed.
  2. Warn other people from a safe position. Keep children, livestock and vehicles away without approaching the object.
  3. Do not touch it or attempt to mark it by walking toward it. If marking can be done without entering danger, use instructions supplied by the local authority; otherwise leave the area and describe its location from safety.
  4. Report it through the locally designated mine-action or emergency channel. Give the nearest known landmark, field reference or coordinates, what you observed and whether anyone is injured.
  5. Keep others away until trained personnel arrive. Do not return simply because the object appears old, rusted, damaged or partly buried.

UNMAS guidance is about recognition, avoidance and reporting, not self-clearance. A report should cover the suspected item and nearby routes, buildings and water points that may also be contaminated.

3. Understand what “released” does—and does not—mean

Ask for the authority’s status in clear terms. A survey may identify evidence that a hazardous area is present or may provide reliable information that no hazard remains. Clearance involves the physical removal and destruction of hazards. “Surveyed,” “marked,” “under assessment” and “released after clearance” are not interchangeable labels.

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Request written confirmation, a map or another record when available. Keep the plot reference and release date with your farm documents. If the authority cannot match the information to your exact parcel, treat the land as unconfirmed and do not enter.

A released field can still have ordinary agricultural dangers: unstable structures, collapsed wells, damaged power lines, contaminated water, unexploded fuel or unsafe roads. Mine-action release answers the explosive-hazard question; it is not a general engineering, environmental or occupational-safety certificate.

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4. Check soil contamination separately from explosive hazards

Weapons and damaged industrial or storage facilities can leave pollutants even after explosive hazards are cleared. Soil contamination and mine action are separate risks, so one clearance decision does not answer the other.

When to seek a soil assessment

Ask an agricultural extension service, environmental authority or qualified soil laboratory whether testing is required if the area has had weapon explosions, fires, fuel or chemical spills, damaged factories or depots, unusual ash or residue, or an official contamination warning. Do not plant, graze animals or use potentially contaminated soil for household food production until local specialists advise you.

In a Ukraine programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) described soil testing for pollutants left by exploded weapons as a step after mine-action survey and clearance. The sequence matters: testing should be planned with competent services and should not be used as a reason to enter an uncleared field.

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What to ask the soil service

  • Which sampling depth, locations and laboratory methods apply to your crop and soil type.
  • Whether samples must be collected by trained personnel because of residual explosive or chemical hazards.
  • Which contaminants are relevant to the documented damage in your area.
  • How results will affect crop choice, grazing, irrigation, worker protection and any required remediation.
  • How long results remain valid after flooding, excavation, new construction or additional incidents.

A household soil-test kit cannot certify land as safe for cultivation. Follow the laboratory’s written interpretation and any restrictions from agricultural or environmental authorities.

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5. Confirm land access, ownership and use rights

Returning to a place does not automatically restore ownership, tenancy, restitution or permission to cultivate. Conflict can damage cadastral records, interrupt land administration and leave plots occupied or claimed by other people. A family may have a legitimate pre-war claim while another household has a current document, allocation or use agreement.

Documents and local help

  • Gather deeds, leases, tax records, cadastral references, inheritance papers, maps, photographs and any displacement or compensation documents.
  • Ask the competent land-administration office how records are being restored or updated and which documents are currently accepted.
  • If another person occupies or claims the land, avoid confrontation and do not rely on a verbal settlement. Seek locally competent legal aid, a land-tenure service, mediation body or restitution process.
  • Record boundaries and agreements through the official process where possible; informal maps or GPS points alone may not establish a legal right.

FAO technical guidance on post-conflict land administration notes that disrupted institutions and records can create competing claims. The applicable procedure is country-specific, so obtain current advice before investing labor, seed or equipment in a disputed parcel.

6. Inspect the farm system after access is confirmed

Safe entry to the plot is only one condition for restarting production. FAO recovery work in Ukraine links land access with soil rehabilitation, agricultural inputs, equipment and infrastructure restoration. Inspect each part of the system through the appropriate local service.

Area Checks before use Stop and seek help when
Roads and bridges Load limits, washouts, blocked routes, unexploded debris and safe turning space for machinery. A route is marked, collapsed, flooded, obstructed by military debris or cannot support the vehicle.
Water and irrigation Well integrity, pump and power condition, canal damage, water quality and legal access. Water is discolored or contaminated, a well is unstable, electrical equipment is damaged or the source is disputed.
Buildings and storage Structural stability, roof and wall damage, fire residue, ventilation, fuel and chemical storage. There are unexploded items, unstable walls, unknown containers, fire damage or unsafe wiring.
Machinery and tools Mechanical inspection, tires, hydraulics, batteries, fuel systems and hidden damage from blast or storage. Equipment was abandoned in a suspected area or has damaged pressure, fuel, electrical or lifting components.
Fences and boundaries Surveyed boundaries, gates, animal containment and signs or barriers that must remain. Repair would require digging or entering a marked or unverified zone.
Labor and transport Available workers, safe routes, protective procedures, trucks, fuel and a route to market. Workers lack safety instructions, transport is unavailable or the route passes through uncleared land.

Do not remove warning signs or barriers to make work easier. Report damaged markings to the authority that placed them.

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7. Plan production around real resources

Once land, soil and rights are verified, make a crop and livelihood plan based on what the household can actually obtain. Check labor, water, seed, fertilizer, fuel, machinery, storage, transport, credit, extension advice and a buyer before committing to a large planting area.

Support needs differ by household. In the FAO-WFP Ukraine programme, farmers were surveyed about the inputs and resources they needed rather than given one identical package. Ask local agricultural services, cooperatives, humanitarian programmes and municipal offices what assistance is active in your area and what eligibility or documentation it requires.

Start with a controlled area

If authorities permit cultivation but infrastructure or soil work is incomplete, begin with the smallest practical area that can be monitored and serviced. Keep a field log of the cleared plot reference, soil results, inputs, incidents, water observations and work completed. Expand only after the same checks apply to the next section.

Do not treat a neighbor’s successful harvest as proof that your parcel, access route or water source is safe. Conditions can differ across a boundary, and new hazards can be exposed by plowing, flooding or construction.

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8. Compare fields or recovery plans using separate tests

When choosing between parcels or deciding which part of a holding to restart first, score each option against all five categories below. A strength in one category cannot substitute for a failure in another.

Comparison question Evidence to require Why it matters
Has the exact plot been released? Confirmation from the competent mine-action authority, with the plot identified precisely. Explosive risk cannot be judged by appearance or general district status.
Has soil risk been assessed? Qualified advice or laboratory results where conflict damage creates a contamination concern. Cleared land may still contain pollutants affecting crops, animals and workers.
Is access legally documented? Current title, lease, allocation, restitution decision or other locally recognized record. Investment can intensify a dispute if the right to use the land is uncertain.
Can the farm physically operate? Usable roads, water, irrigation, buildings, storage, machinery and power. A safe plot is not productive if essential systems are broken.
Can the household sustain production? Labor, seed, other inputs, equipment, transport, finance and a market or buyer. Production plans fail when one essential resource is missing.

9. Put Ukraine’s experience in the right context

Ukraine illustrates the scale and interaction of these problems, but its figures are not global averages. FAO’s 9 December 2025 programme announcement estimated that up to 138,500 square kilometres in Ukraine were affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war. That is an attributed, Ukraine-specific estimate of affected territory, not a measurement of farmland and not a figure that can be applied to another country.

An FAO-WFP announcement in 2023, citing the February 2023 Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, said Ukraine’s grain and oilseed production decreased by 37 percent in 2022. The same announcement reported that almost 90 percent of surveyed small-scale crop producers had lower revenue because of the war and that one in four had stopped or significantly reduced agricultural activity. These are Ukraine survey and production figures, not a general rate for farmers returning after conflict.

FAO’s 2025 announcement described a programme targeting more than 3,500 rural families and 100 small-scale farmers. Those numbers describe that programme’s planned reach, not the total population affected. The programme linked geospatial prioritization, soil assessment, land rehabilitation and household support.

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The human reason for sequencing is captured by Denise Brown, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine: “Making the land safe and free of explosive remnants of the war is the first step to rebuilding resilient and prosperous rural communities in Ukraine, who have been on the frontlines of this war, and preventing their long-term dependence on humanitarian assistance.”

Pierre Vauthier, Head of FAO Ukraine Country Office, said: “Many families and small-scale farmers in front-line regions are not planting this season because they know their fields are dangerous or they are risking their lives to plant on mined lands or contaminated soils.”

Maxwell Sibhensana, Deputy Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience at FAO, described the livelihood link this way: “For many rural families in Ukraine, the ability to safely return to their land is the first step toward rebuilding their livelihoods.”

10. A practical return sequence

  1. Identify the parcel. Assemble the plot number, coordinates, boundaries, access routes and nearby structures.
  2. Contact the current authority. Ask the mine-action, civil-protection or municipal office for the locally valid reporting and clearance process.
  3. Verify release. Confirm the exact field, roads, water points, storage areas and any restrictions; obtain a record when possible.
  4. Brief everyone. Explain signs, barriers, no-touch rules and reporting steps to family members, employees, contractors and children.
  5. Report anything suspicious. Withdraw, warn others and report without approaching, moving or probing the object.
  6. Request environmental advice. Arrange soil assessment if explosions, fires, spills, damaged facilities or official warnings indicate a contamination risk.
  7. Resolve land status. Check title, lease, restitution and competing claims through the competent land office or legal-support service.
  8. Inspect and restart gradually. Check infrastructure, water, machinery, labor, inputs, transport and markets; begin only on the verified area and keep records.

Common shortcuts that create danger

  • “The fighting ended, so the field is safe.” Explosive remnants can remain after hostilities; only competent assessment and clearance can establish release.
  • “The soil test will tell us whether mines are present.” Soil testing addresses pollutants, not explosive clearance.
  • “A metal detector will find everything.” Consumer equipment is not professional survey or disposal.
  • “We have farmed this land before, so our old route is safe.” Routes, field edges and buried hazards can change during conflict and later work.
  • “Using the land proves ownership.” Occupation or cultivation does not settle title, tenancy or restitution.
  • “One safe corner makes the whole farm safe.” Release and soil results apply only to the areas and conditions assessed.

No global count of farmers exposed to explosive hazards or general percentage of contaminated farmland has been established here. Treat local authority information—not a generalized statistic—as the basis for every entry and planting decision.

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