Perdue: Slowed 'Demining' Means Global Breadbasket Has Only Crumbs

Very recently, antipersonnel landmines were reported in and around the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

More than a year into the conflict, Russia continues to find new, advanced landmines to destabilize Ukraine.

It's estimated that Russian troops have used at least 13 kinds of antipersonnel landmines since the start of the war, with more stockpiles maintained for future denotation.

For 18 months, the country has grappled with Russian forces who continue to devastate infrastructure, farmlands, and territories by planting these tens of thousands of landmines as a war tactic.

While Russians can plant these mines hundreds at a time, the clearance process is slow, painstaking work in which one wrong move can be the difference between life and death.

Unless more programs and support is given to expedite the journey to a landmine-free Ukraine, recovery is nearly impossible.

For the ordnance disposal technicians tasked with finding and dissolving these landmines, dozens can be found in a week.

For instance, employees at humanitarian organizations like The HALO Trust, the world's oldest and largest landmine clearance organization, are working to clear landmines from hundreds of kilometers of Ukrainian land.

Wearing thick visors and body armor, ordnance disposal technicians are responsible for deactivating and detonating explosive remnants miles away from human habitation.

This "empty" land actually plays a critical role in our global food supply, and since the war began these landmines have contributed to supply shortages and low crop yields throughout the country.

Currently, more than 2.6 million hectares of Ukraine's lush agricultural lands need to be cleared from unexploded ordnance.

The billion-dollar industries of corn, wheat, oilseeds and grains have been devastated by these explosives.

Russia strategically places the mines in such a way that farmers are often left with utterly unsalvageable land.

But removing these mines is a brutal and dangerous endeavor – made more urgent as Russia plants more mines each day.

The brave ordnance disposal technicians need the same support that their military counterparts have had in order to succeed.

Even after recapturing land, Ukraine will have to demine their territory for years to come.

Ukraine reports that it has already located and removed 80,000 mines, but countless more remain. Unfortunately, the time and lack of resources mean a longer road to recovery.

It's estimated that clearing the country of landmines and other unexploded ordinances will take decades and up to $30 billion.

While certain international initiatives like the U.S. Demining Training Project in Ukraine and other Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) have provided some support, coordinated global intervention is necessary to bolster the demining efforts and ensure brave volunteers are able to safely and swiftly clear these mines.

For a full recovery, this effort must be a top priority.

The only way for Ukraine to recover after the damage of war is from sustained, focused attention from gatekeepers dedicated to the mission.

Demining should be made a focal point at the recurring Ukraine Recover Conferences.

Organizations must invest in new technologies to identify and safely expedite destruction and removal.

We must make a concerted effort to clear landmines promptly.

Ukraine's recovery will depend on how fast the landmine clearance progresses, and without it, the world's breadbasket will be left with crumbs.

Harvard graduate Mitzi Perdue is a writer, speaker, and author of the award-winning biography of Mark Victor Hansen, the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" co-author. All royalties for this book will go to supporting humanitarian relief in Ukraine.