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In Donbass, Ukraine, the work of farmers has become a veritable obstacle course since the start of the war.
In Ukraine, as elsewhere, August is the month of harvest. For local farmers, it is also one of danger. Regularly, agricultural machines jump on mines hidden in the fields. Despite the risks, workers continue their eggplant harvest, only a few kilometers from the front.
The conflict threatens the lives of agricultural workers, and also jeopardizes their activities. In the bombardments of recent months, a farmer says he has lost more than 30 hectares of wheat. “Next year, I risk having no more wheat at all”he regrets, Wednesday, August 17. “We lost a lot of money, it can’t last long. But it’s not up to us, it’s up to the authorities to agree”, says a market gardener. In Ukraine, the agricultural sector employs one inhabitant in five and accounts for 40% of exports.