Soul of Soil. Tokyo

Soul of Soil. Tokyo

Every meal begins with safe land.

Refer to this page for more information in Japanese.

Soul of Soil is a joint advocacy project of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine. Through the power of culinary diplomacy, the project draws global attention to one of Ukraine’s most pressing challenges – the contamination of its land with mines and other explosive remnants of war.

Before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s food exports fed over 400 million people worldwide each year. Known as the breadbasket of Europe, Ukraine has some of the world’s most fertile land: 56% of its territory is arable land, and a total of 71% is used for agriculture.

But by 2025, Ukraine’s total cultivated area had declined by 23.5% compared to pre-war levels^[i] – a loss equivalent to the entire territory of Lithuania, or one-fifth of Japan. 18% of surveyed crop producers nationwide and 38% in frontline areas report their land as affected.^[ii]

Every meal served in Ukraine carries a story of hardship, courage, and determination to restore the land to its people.

Photograph of a combine harvester in a dusty grain field under a cloudy sky.

Golden-brown cornfield with tall, dry stalks under a clear blue sky.

Two hands cradle a cluster of small dark-blue berries on thin stems in a natural setting.

From demined fields in Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv oblasts, to Tokyo

As Japan hosts the Ukraine Mine Action Conference (UMAC 2025) in Tokyo – bringing together global policy and change-makers – UNDP and its partners are also presenting the Soul of Soil project in Japan.

Flour, onions, potatoes, carrots, and sunflower oil have been brought over 8,000 kilometres from the demined fields of Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions in Ukraine for an important mission: to inspire global support for mine action and recovery efforts.

On the eve of UMAC, high-level delegates will take part in a hands-on cooking session, preparing traditional Ukrainian dishes – borsch and halushky – guided by Ukrainian celebrity chef Yevhen Klopotenko.

Meanwhile, the public in Tokyo will have a chance to taste borsch prepared to the chef’s signature recipe.

Try Chef Klopotenko’s special borsch recipe yourself:

Ingredients:

400 g beef
3 allspice peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Water (for broth)
1 carrot
1 beetroot
1 onion
2–3 garlic cloves
2 potatoes
¼ head of cabbage
½ cup cooked beans
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon vinegar
Salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
Sunflower oil (for frying)
Sour cream (for serving)

Method:

Step 1

Take 400 g of beef, wash it, trim off any excess membranes, and cut it into small pieces. Place the meat in a pot with water, add 3 allspice peppercorns and 2 bay leaves. Cook into a broth over a low heat for 1 hour.

Step 2

Next, take the vegetables: 1 carrot, garlic, onion, and beetroot. Wash and peel them. Dice the onion into medium-sized cubes. Grate the carrot on a coarse grater. Crush the garlic with the flat side of a knife. Heat some sunflower oil in a pan and add the carrot, onion, and garlic. Fry over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Step 3

Grate the beetroot on a coarse grater and add it to the sautéed vegetables. Cook for another 3 minutes.

Step 4

Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the sautéed vegetables. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Step 5

Take 2 potatoes, peel them, and cut them into medium-sized cubes. Add the potatoes to the broth.

Step 6

Transfer the sautéed vegetables to the pot with the broth.

Step 7

Take ¼ of a cabbage head, slice it, and add it to the borsch. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add ½ cup of pre-cooked beans.

Step 8

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 5 minutes and serve with sour cream.

Each ingredient carries a story of courage

The Derhachi community, which lies just north of the city of Kharkiv in the east of Ukraine, is an area that has witnessed the full horrors of war. In 2022, almost 7,000 of the community’s homes were destroyed, and over 80% of the population fled in search of safety. Intense hostilities and the partial occupation of the region left its mark on the land, too: today, 76% of the community’s arable land remains mined and unsuitable for cultivation.

But wherever the land is safe enough to cultivate, farmers press on – often at great personal risk. Among those are Artem and Kostyantyn, two local entrepreneurs whose sunflower oil has made the long journey from Ukraine’s demined fields to Tokyo.

Over ninety percent of their fields were covered in mines and unexploded ordnance. In a single field, more than 280 anti-tank mines were removed. Today, crops grow there again.

Two photographs: left, man in dark polo outside; right, man in brown near a large military vehicle.

Artem, director of agrarian enterprise Sadyk LLC Kostyantyn, director of agrarian enterprise Semargl-LS LLC

Across Ukraine, farmers face constant challenges brought by the war: mined fields, constant air attacks, and the need to rebuild again and again. Yet their bond with the land, and their determination to grow, create, and restore, remain stronger than ever. Once the land begins to heal, life returns – nourishing both Ukraine and the world.

Close-up of a blue, rusted metal joint with bolts marked 4189 at sunset.

Background:

Currently, an estimated 137,000 km², or about 23% of Ukraine’s war-affected territory, remains at high risk of contamination by explosive remnants of war, and requires extensive survey and clearance efforts. This includes 13,500 km² of water bodies.

The consequences are devastating. Farmers cannot cultivate their fields, jobs and livelihoods are lost, and communities live under the constant threat of injury or death from hidden explosives.

Thanks to coordinated mine action efforts, since early 2023 the estimated area of contaminated territory has fallen by 37,000 km².

UNDP plays a strategic and operational role in Ukraine’s mine action response. It provides guidance for the development and implementation of national mine action strategies and standards, supports safe returns, reconstruction, and recovery, and supplies technical expertise and specialized equipment. To speed up land release and restore agricultural productivity, UNDP also leverages cutting-edge technologies – including satellite imagery, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

UNDP is grateful for the contributions of its partners – the governments of Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the European Union – whose support makes mine action in Ukraine possible.

[i] Comparison of 2021 and 2025 sown areas of agricultural crops by type. Archives. State Statistics Service of Ukraine. https://www.ukrstat.gov.ua/operativ/operativ2019/sg/ppsgk/arh_ppsgk_u.html

[ii] FAO. 2025. Ukraine: Impact of the war on agricultural enterprises – Findings of a nationwide survey, October–November 2024. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd6216en

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Photo credit: Nazarii Mazyliuk / UNDP in Ukraine