Strategies for regional disproportion management to restore economic security in the Ukrainian agricultural sector

The study aimed to identify key threats to the Ukrainian agricultural sector in the context of the war and to develop proposals for overcoming them through effective governance, government support and infrastructure investment. The study was conducted based on an analysis of socio-economic indicators of different regions of Ukraine with a focus on the agricultural sector. The data collection covered the period from 2022 to 2023 and included indicators of unemployment, investment activity, agricultural sector productivity, and the effectiveness of government support programmes. A comparative analysis was conducted between the regions affected by the hostilities and more stable regions, and the impact of infrastructure investment on economic stability was also investigated. The study determined that the Ukrainian agricultural sector has been severely affected by the hostilities, leading to increased unemployment, reduced investment and widening economic gaps between regions. The highest losses were observed in regions bordering the conflict zone, such as Kharkiv and Dnipro regions. In these regions, investment activity has completely stopped, which has significantly reduced the productivity of the agricultural sector. At the same time, regions with more developed infrastructure performed better due to access to markets and financing. The study also demonstrated that state support had an uneven impact on different regions, with the most affected regions receiving insufficient support. The study results highlighted the importance of infrastructure investment and comprehensive state support to overcome regional disparities in Ukraine’s agricultural sector and stabilise the economic situation in the face of the ongoing conflict