Russian forces have occupied about 22% of Ukraine’s farmland since the February fair (7).

Satellite data analyzed by scientists from the US space agency show that the occupation of eastern and southern Ukraine has given Russia control of lands responsible for 28% of winter crop production. The main foods of this season are wheat, rapeseed, barley and rye, and 18% of the crop, mainly corn and sunflower, is produced in the region during the summer harvest.

The disruption of harvesting and planting, the lack of manpower and the bombing of fields could have a serious impact on the world’s food supply, NASA scientists said.

“The planet’s breadbasket is at war,” said Inbal Becker-Reshef, director of the space agency’s Harvest program, which uses satellite data from the US and Europe to study global food production.

According to US statistics, pre-war Ukraine supplied 46% of world traded sunflower oil, 9% of wheat, 17% of barley and 12% of maize.

The Russian invasion blocked food exports from Odessa, the main port on the Black Sea, and destroyed storage and transportation infrastructure in some areas.

“We are in the early stages of a progressive food crisis that is likely to affect every country and person in the world in some way,” Becker-Reshef said.