The Second Kharkiv Food Forum "Kharkiv on the Path to Food Security: Challenges, Risks, Overcoming Perspectives" took place at Karazin University

Within the walls of Karazin University, the second Kharkiv Food Forum "Kharkiv on the Path to Food Security: Challenges, Risks, Overcoming Perspectives" took place as part of the International scientific research project Fusilli (which was won by the team of the School of Sociology in 2020). The meeting was held in a hybrid format: participants and guests joined both in person and online to exchange experiences and discuss issues related to the transformation of food systems in Kharkiv and the region in times of war. The forum focused on coordinating humanitarian aid, volunteering activities, demining agricultural land, transforming logistics and food systems, local food initiatives, building a food security system, Sustainable Development Goals, and state policies in finance and food policy in Kharkiv and the region.

The opening speech was given by the Rector of Karazin University, Tetyana Kaganovska. She noted that Karazin has always been a platform for implementing significant ideas and initiatives, and now we are looking for the right solutions to overcome the challenges of war in the field of food security.

The Dean of the School of Sociology and the head of the Kharkiv Fusilli project team, Olena Muradyan, emphasized that this forum was held for the second time. It is a platform for exchanging experiences in building sustainable food systems in the city and region, as well as developing a regional network of interaction between civil and volunteer organizations, local and state authorities, academic and scientific communities, and representatives of various organizations and institutions.

Also welcoming speech was delivered by Fusilli Project Coordinator (Spain) Julia Pinedo Gil and Deputy Director of the Department of Agro-Industrial Development of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration Kostiantyn Panfilov.

The forum was co-organized by the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster of the Eastern Hub, the Coordination Humanitarian Center, the Charity Fund Source of Revival, and the Kharkiv City Council. Vitaliy Razhivin, a specialist in coordination and information management of the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster of the Eastern Hub, shared the Cluster's activities during 2023 and plans for 2024, focusing on the Cluster's goals in assisting nearly 582 thousand people in the Kharkiv region. Bohdan Yakhno and Kateryna Lavrenko, representing the Coordination Humanitarian Center, introduced the audience to the activities of the CHC and demonstrated statistical information and methodology that helps analyze logistical, socio-demographic, economic, and food factors in the region. Svitlana Horbunova-Ruban, Deputy Mayor of Kharkiv for Health and Social Protection, dedicated her speech to the city's food policy and the activities of the Kharkiv City Council in the field of food security during the war.

International partners and organizations also participated in the forum, including Salim Musa, Head of the World Food Program Office in Dnipro, who talked about WFP's activities in the Kharkiv region and eastern Ukraine; Nina Yarosh, Senior Policy Officer of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization project on agricultural means of existence and demining activities, who familiarized the audience with the process of demining agricultural land and assistance to farmers in the region; Dmytro Filipskyi, Humanitarian Affairs Officer of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, whose presentation focused on humanitarian coordination in Ukraine, particularly in the Kharkiv region; Oleksandr Skorobahatko, National Project Specialist of the Food and Agriculture Organization, who provided detailed information about FAO's activities in Ukraine and the Kharkiv region.

Additionally, Alexander Kotukov, Director of the Kharkiv Regional Employment Center, presented on the activities of food industry enterprises in the region and the provision of loans for starting and developing businesses. Zoya Tsygulova, Head of the Economic Analysis Department of the Main Department of the State Fiscal Service in the Kharkiv Region, spoke about the activities of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region during the war. Valeriy Sytnikov, Head of the Food Safety and Feed Safety Department of the Food Safety and Veterinary Medicine Department of the Main Department of the State Consumer Service in the Kharkiv Region, and Hanna Holovina, representative of "Zero Waste Kharkiv," also participated.

Karazin University experts' contributions to food security were prepared and presented at the forum. Hanna Titenko, Director of the Institute of Ecology, presented materials on the agricultural sector of Ukraine and analyzed whether the environmental imperative is relevant. And Dmytro Boiko, Head of the Department of Political Sociology at the School of Sociology shared the results of a sociological study on "Kharkiv Residents on Waste Sorting."

We are pleased to bring together experienced specialists and professionals at Karazin University who help create food security in the city and region to influence the future and prosperity of our country!