Social Preconditions for the Transformation of Household Farming Practices in Communities of Kyiv Prydniprovia Region During the War

The full-scale Russian invasion has posed serious challenges to the development of the agricultural sector and to the quality of life of inhabitants in specific territorial communities of the Kyiv Prydniprovia region, particularly those affected by temporary occupation or located in zones of constant shelling, thereby necessitating an examination of their resilience to these impacts. The study aims to generalize the results of the perceptual assessment of agricultural development potential and the significance of the agricultural sector for households, and to investigate the peculiarities of residents’ adaptation through the lens of their perception of local problems, analysis of aspects significant for their quality of life, and migration intentions before and after the full-scale Russian invasion. The research is based on the analysis of survey data from respondents representing the involved communities. The survey results indicate that the war catalyzed the narrowing of labor-market opportunities, changes in attitudes toward agriculture, and the expansion of agriculture’s role in ensuring family welfare. The agricultural sector in all four regions remains relatively stable: the majority of the population continues to cultivate land in the same areas on their farms. It does not significantly change either the structure of crops or the types of domestic animals, if they are kept. The trend toward a slight reduction in the number of cultivated crops indicates the simplification of production and a concentration on profitable types. The traumatic experience of war forces people to abandon animal husbandry and seek more predictable and stable spheres of activity outside agriculture. Quality-of-life assessment criteria shift in favor of ensuring basic needs: the availability of electricity, water, and security becomes much more important than comfort (extended assessment of amenities) in the pre-war understanding. Respondents’ migration sentiments across the region during the pre-war and wartime periods shifted toward a greater proportion wishing to change their current place of residence and relocate. This desire does not depend directly on the presence or absence of occupational experience; in particular, respondents from the Cherkasy region were the most willing to move to the other areas. Therefore, the Kyiv Prydniprovia region may require a geographical redistribution of agricultural production from areas with potentially high rates of population migration to safer territories. Future research should focus on the potential for possible agricultural “recolonization.”