As part of the 2022-2023 Food Security Programme, Znob-Novhorodske rural municipality in Sumy oblast plans to implement a project to improve the food self-sufficiency of local households. To achieve this, a municipal land cultivation enterprise will provide services to the population on preferential terms. This was announced by the head of the municipality, Petro Honcharov.
“The aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the temporary occupation of the Sumy region in the spring of 2022 disrupted the logistics routes for the delivery of food to our municipality. This, in turn, caused many challenges in meeting the primary needs of the population. Like most municipalities of Ukraine, we were not ready for this. That is why in the summer of 2022, we made a decision to start, together with the experts of the U-LEAD with Europe, the development of the 2022-2023 Food Security Programme, which we approved at the meeting of the executive committee at the end of October 2022,” said Mr Honcharov.
According to Maryna Lobova, Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Sumy Oblast, the Cabinet of Ministers, once the full-scale invasion had begun, adopted Order No. 327 of 29 April 2022 on food security in Ukraine, authorising local self-government bodies to create food security programmes.
“To help municipalities in this matter, U-LEAD with Europe introduced a new educational initiative and selected four pilot municipalities, including Znob-Novhorodske, the only one in Sumy region. As part of the initiative, our experts helped municipal experts find effective tools to respond to challenges in the food sector caused by the war,” she said.
During the development of the programme, the municipality conducted a population survey and received unexpected results. This was noted by Leonid Sotnikov, Head of the Finance, Economic Development and Investment Department of the Executive Committee of the Znob-Novhorodske Village Council.
According to him, the findings revealed that the average level of food security of households in the Znob-Novhorodske municipality was less than 60%. The indicators for the number of households show that only 1,500 households out of more than 2,600 have food security.
“This is a very low figure; evidence that we have a lot to work ahead of us. That is why the Food Security Programme is urgent and will help us solve the issue of food stocks and find tools to facilitate the food self-sufficiency of households,” said Mr Sotnikov.