Ukraine: Clearing land for farming — how demining supports agriculture and new career paths in Mykolaiv Oblast

In Mykolaiv Oblast, the summer heat is intense often reaching over 30 degrees Celsius. Thanks to a warmer climate than Ukraine’s northern regions and highly fertile soil, this area is well-known for its agricultural abundance. Unsurprisingly, grain is currently maturing in the fields surrounding the Danish Refugee Council's (DRC) demining sites.

"The fields surrounding our sites are already being actively cultivated by local farmers," emphasises Andrii, Demining Team Lead.

From the start of the year until June 2026, Andriy and his fellow demining teams in the Mykolaiv Oblast — funded by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation — have cleared over 290,000 square metres of contaminated land and found 22 explosive ordnance.

In Stepova Dolyna, where Andriy’s team is deployed, the clearance of this former combat zone is well underway. Heavy fighting gripped the area from March to early November 2022, leaving the village severely scarred; every single household suffered some form of destruction.

The specific plot where the DRC team is working belongs to a farmer who, until now, had been unable to cultivate his land due to the threat of unexploded ordnance.

The deminers work methodically in "squares", dividing the site into a precise grid of 10-metre blocks. The process begins with a magnetic metal detector, followed by a wide-loop detector. Before any scanning can start, however, the area must be cleared of tall grass, which cannot exceed 20 cm in height.

The gruelling work is structured into strict intervals: 50 minutes of clearing followed by a 10-minute break. "It’s so hot that we have to change our long-sleeved tops every hour because they get soaked through so quickly," says one of the deminers.

A new career in humanitarian demining

Anastasia, 30, is one of the local residents who have developed a new career through humanitarian demining. As a Mykolaiv native, she says the work is closely connected to the future of her region.

"I live in Mykolaiv, and I’ve been here throughout the entire war. It’s vital for me to know that I’m helping. I feel incredibly lucky to have involved myself in humanitarian demining. The feeling that I am making a difference is just awesome," she says enthusiastically.

Before joining DRC, Anastasia had worked in a supermarket, a café and a pawnbroker’s. With no previous experience in ordnance clearance, she completed the required training and built a new professional path in humanitarian demining.

Demining continues amid an active conflict, and teams follow strict security procedures. When an aerial warning is issued, work stops and deminers follow established protocols until the all-clear. Teams also take part in regular first-aid and emergency evacuation drills. These procedures allow the team to respond to changes in the security environment while maintaining its focus on clearing land for communities and farmers.

"When you join a demining team, you need to keep a cool head and understand exactly why you’re here. When you go into the field knowing you’re doing important work, everything becomes clearer," she says.

For Anastasia, the support of her eight-year-old son keeps her going. "My eldest son is proud that his mum does such important work. But I haven't told my youngest yet. He is already living through a time he shouldn't have to — a time of war," she adds.

From livestock technician to deminer

Working alongside Anastasia is 24-year-old Yaroslav, who trained as an animal husbandry technician. After the full-scale invasion disrupted his previous career, he retrained as a humanitarian deminer.

"Until 2022, I was a laboratory assistant at the Mykolaiv Agricultural University. I worked on a farm looking after a flock of sheep. Students would visit to observe the daily routines — herding them out, bringing them back in, watching how the animals interacted, and learning how to handle them. Based on that, they'd decide if they wanted to pursue a career in agriculture," he explains.

Like Anastasia, he was drawn to humanitarian demining by a desire to rid his homeland of explosives.

"When I first started, it was understandably nerve-wracking. But as the years go by and you gain experience, it becomes a professional habit. You learn to take it in your stride," Yaroslav says.

Given his roots in agriculture, Yaroslav dreams of running his own farm in a peaceful Ukraine.

"When, God willing, the war ends, I’ll probably go back to working with animals. I’m thinking of a mini-farm, and I’d love to start a blog about it," he smiles.

But whilst the war continues, Yaroslav is single-mindedly focused on restoring safety to local communities and helping farmers get back to work.

Once this field in Stepova Dolyna is entirely cleared, the local farmer will finally be able to sow crops again. This long-awaited return to cultivation means generating a steady income, paying state taxes, and compensating landowners for leasing their plots — a vital chain reaction that will breathe life back into the village's economy and standard of living.