Krakow conversations on food security - conversation with with Anatolyi Tkachuk

The War on Ukraine has impacted food production, distribution and consumption patterns. Agricultural production is no longer possible in the occupied territories, internal displacement of population, a war economy and climate change are all factors. Yet there are no food shortages. One reason for this is the emergence of community-based food production and distribution initiatives enabled by local and regional government. Victory Gardens modelled on Britain’s push for food self-sufficiency in World War II were important in this regard at the beginning for the War. These have given way to more systematic and decentralised local and regional government initiatives for food production and distribution. The emphasis is on harnessing the enthusiasm and capabilities of citizens, communities and small-scale farmers, as well as making best use of agricultural land transferred to local and regional government. These are not short food supply chains as conceived in the European Union. There is no farm to fork policy or priority as mandated in European Union member states. But de facto local markets for locally produced food are flourishing out of necessity.

What are the lessons for boosting food security for Krakow, which should be included in the updating of Strategic Development Plan? How can citizens become more engaged in food production and distribution in and around Krakow? Why is locally-produced food so important for food security? Why is it important to sustain small-scale farming in around the city?

Anatolyi Tkachuk from Ukraine’s Civil Society Institute has been at the heart of mobilising local communities and governments for food security in Ukraine. Unable to travel to Krakow due to bombardment of his region, he offered a presentation and his thoughts on seeing locally produced food as the key to resilience in the face of crisis.

For Anatolyi Tkachuk, the starting point is that locally-produced food is not a luxury. It’s a lifeline.

In times of peace, locally-produced food is often seen as a lifestyle choice—an ethical, ecological, or gourmet preference for the middle class. But Ukraine’s wartime experience has shattered that illusion. When global supply chains collapsed, ports were blockaded, and food infrastructure was bombed, it wasn’t international aid or industrial agriculture that fed the nation. It was local communities, households, and small farmers.

Since 2022, Ukraine has endured the destruction of:

• Over 10 million tons of grain elevator capacity

• Thousands of square kilometers of farmland, now mined or contaminated

• Major logistics hubs and food warehouses destroyed

• Livestock and poultry farms, with millions of animals lost

• Farms and food production no longer possible in occupied regions.

Yet, Ukraine did not starve. Instead, it pivoted. Communities planted vegetables on school grounds, municipal lands, and even in backyards. Programs like Victory Gardens mobilized 66+ territorial communities to grow food for themselves, displaced persons, and the military. Local governments enabled this by:

• Focusing on making food available

• Allocating communal land and anexing unused farmland

• Purchasing seeds and equipment

• Supporting household farming with grants and simplified taxation

Local Governments: The Unsung Heroes of Food Sovereignty.  Ukraine’s local authorities didn’t just react—they led. They integrated food resilience into development strategies, created marketplaces for local producers, and facilitated direct procurement for schools and hospitals. Cities like Vinnytsia and Kyiv offered free market stalls to small producers, while mobile food fairs brought fresh produce to urban neighborhoods.

This decentralized model of food governance proved not only effective but transformative. It has empowered communities, reduced reliance on imports, and shortened supply chains—cutting carbon emissions and boosting local economies.

What began as a survival tactic is evolving into a strategic vision. Ukraine’s experience shows that food sovereignty is national security. It’s also economic resilience, climate action, and social cohesion. But the key lies with local governments as these are uniquely positioned to:

• Enable land access for food production

• Support short supply chains through infrastructure and policy

• Foster local markets and digital platforms for small producers

• Integrate food goals into urban and rural development plans

• Become local food consumers through procurement

Anatoliy Tkachuk's message is a wake up call. War is already on Europe’s doorstep. Krakow is in the frontline. The question is not whether disruptions to food supply will affect Krakow, but rather is Krakow ready for such disruptions. Disruptions will come not just from war, but also from climate change, pandemics and other crises.

The experience of Ukrainian local and regional governments offers a blueprint: empower communities, decentralize food systems, and treat local food as essential infrastructure.

Krakow-based Ukrainians are an opportunity and resource for pooling knowledge, experience and expertise on community based food from Poland and Ukraine for mutual benefit. This is an example of how Polish-Ukrainian collaboration for transition to more sustainable food culture without industrial-scale food exporting. The focus on mainstreaming IT-enabled SFSC can counteract anti-Ukrainian tensions being created in the agriculture and food field driven by the myth that untested food from Ukraine is entering Poland on a massive scale and displacing locally-produced food in Poland. Similar arguments are also becoming commonplace about Poland on the Ukrainian side. Food and food-related tradition and culture can be divisive, but also a basis for joint action.

• Lessons from Ukraine

• Thoughts on resilience