10 regions of Ukraine, with 95% of the active hostilities, have suffered the greatest destruction of infrastructure, people’s migration and economic decline. As a result, the unemployment rate in these regions is five times higher than the national average.

These are the findings of a research by the KSE Institute, the UN World Food Program (WFP) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – “Joint Food Security and Livelihood Assessment of Frontline and Bordering Regions in Ukraine”. The analysis covers Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Luhansk regions. These regions have suffered the most from the consequences of the full-scale invasion.

Due to the absence of men of working age in many families, the financial burden often falls on pensioners and women, 40% of whom (mostly women) are not officially employed. That is why 35% of households rely mainly on external sources of income, such as pensions, social payments, transfers, and humanitarian aid. In the current situation, 48% of households in the frontline and border regions spend more than half of their income on food, 67% have to cut spending on education and healthcare, and 38% are in debt.

At the same time, access to food has become a critical issue. The biggest difficulties are with perishable foods: meat, fish, eggs, and fruit. For many families, they have become objects of luxury. Nearly half of Ukrainians living in the area up to 30 kilometers from the front line have no access to working stores nearby. Overall, about 40% of families in 10 regions of Ukraine are in a state of food insecurity.

At the macro level, the war has led to a more than 25 percent drop in GDP, a rapid rise in food prices, and a fourfold increase in poverty. And high unemployment is complicating the situation. For women of working age, the main barrier to employment is family caregiving responsibilities – accounting for more than 80% of them. For men, the main factors are security issues, injuries and other consequences of the war. As a result, 40% of people of working age (especially women) are neither working nor looking for work.

Stable financial and humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable households and improved access to markets and shops will help support communities. However, these measures will not be the answer. Support for local farmers and strengthening their capacity is needed. The war has significantly reduced agricultural production due to the loss of land, increased production costs, and labor shortages caused by conscription, in addition to climate change. Also, about 67% of agricultural households are in urgent need of seeds (21%), fertilizers and pesticides (15%).

Currently, only 35% of families in the regions covered by the research are engaged in agriculture. 82% produce products mainly for their own consumption. Support for the agricultural sector will help, in particular, to increase employment among the working-age population (most of whom are women) who are unable to join the labor market due to family circumstances.

The sector will also be stimulated by investments in the restoration of destroyed infrastructure. First and foremost, this means repairing irrigation and drainage systems, rebuilding grain storage facilities, vegetable storage facilities, greenhouses, livestock farms, and logistics chains. It is also important to provide communities with the technical tools to assess damage, plan for recovery, and implement climate-resilient technologies.

Combining humanitarian support with economic recovery programs will help move from crisis response to creating conditions for sustainable development. This will increase the ability of communities in the frontline and border regions to support themselves, reduce their dependence on external assistance, and contribute to the overall stabilization of the economy.