Sustainable demining in Ukraine depends on solutions that are locally embedded, economically viable and directly connected to the people whose livelihoods are affected. In agricultural regions, this means aligning clearance efforts with landuse models that support both farmers and landowners during and after clearance.

In the Mykolaiv region, Global Clearance Solutions (GCS) is supporting such an approach through its cooperation with Nibulon and international partners, enabling Ukrainianled clearance of agricultural land while maintaining income for local leaseholders.

Clearance aligned with Ukraine's leaseholding system

Under Ukraine's leaseholding model, landowners lease their fields to agricultural operators. Even when land cannot be cultivated due to contamination, lease payments provide essential income. In this context, demining does more than restore access to land; it stabilises livelihoods during recovery.

In Shyroke and surrounding areas, Nibulon has been able to continue compensating landowners while clearance activities take place. For leaseholders, this income supports household recovery, including repairs to homes damaged during the conflict.

Mechanical demining supporting local operators

Clearance activities are carried out by Ukrainian deminers trained by GCS to conduct both manual and mechanical demining. Mechanical clearance is supported through the deployment of GCS-200 remotecontrolled demining platforms, which significantly increase productivity while reducing risk to personnel.

Depending on terrain and contamination, a single mechanical system can process up to 10,000 square metres per shift, compared with the limited area a manual deminer can safely clear in the same time. This combination of speed and standoff operation allows clearance to progress while maintaining safety and quality.

From international support to national capability

The programme is supported by DEG Impulse as part of the develoPPP initiative, with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This structure enables international investment to be channelled into Ukrainianled clearance activities, strengthening national capacity rather than replacing it.

GCS specialists initially supported deployment and training, after which Ukrainian teams assumed operational responsibility. This approach ensures that knowledge, skills and equipment remain in country and can be scaled further as clearance needs continue.

Safe land as the basis for food security

Returning agricultural land to safe use is critical not only for local communities, but also for wider food supply chains. Clearance of farmland enables planting to resume, supports employment and contributes to food security beyond Ukraine's borders.

By combining local operators, mechanical clearance technology, training and international cooperation, the project demonstrates how demining can restore land, livelihoods and confidence at community level.

Get to know landowner Natalia Kozlovska, who leases her plot to NIBULON, who were not only able to clear her land of mines and other explosive remnants of war using GCS's remote-controlled demining platforms, but also to compensate her via the unique Ukrainian leaseholding system whereby the land owner receives rent from the grower.