Depletion of Ukraine’s Soils Threatens Long-Term Global Food Security
Researchers from the UK, Ukraine, and the Netherlands warn that Ukraine's soils are losing vital crop nutrients due to the war.
The war has disrupted access to fertilisers and led to inefficient farming practices, resulting in more nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium being removed from soils than added back in.
Military activity has also worsened soil degradation and erosion across Ukraine, jeopardising the country's long-term ability to produce crops.
The war is jeopardising the country’s long-term ability to remain the ‘breadbasket of Europe’.
This depletion of soil nutrients threatens global food security, as Ukraine is a significant contributor to global food exports.
Author's summary: Ukraine's soil depletion threatens global food security.