The Center of Excellence for Life Sciences, Agriculture and Bioingenuity (CE-LAB) represents Ukraine’s most ambitious initiative to address the agricultural legacy of war. Founded as an open-access innovation platform, CE-LAB is led by Vitaliy Skotsyk, whose credentials as Managing Partner, Ukraine and Central Asia with Frontline Intelligence and former Chairman of the Agrarian Party provide the technical expertise and relationships essential for a program of this scale. CE-LAB operates in partnership with the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULES) in Kyiv.
The scope of Ukraine’s land contamination challenge is staggering. In 2023, Ukraine became the most mined country in the world, with approximately 30% of its land (137,000 km2) contaminated by explosives, drones, and missile strikes, of which about half (7.5 M ha) are farmlands. Demining, or the process of safely detecting and eliminating landmines and unexploded ordnances to return land to its intended use, is only the first step to restoring agricultural land for crop production: soil remediation refers to the scientific assessment and rehabilitation of soils contaminated by warfare (e.g., fires, craters, heavy metals). The damage to Ukraine’s agricultural lands include some of the world’s most productive black soil regions notable for its export production of nutritious grains and cereals. Prior to the war, Ukraine supplied food to more than 600 million people globally, making land restoration a matter of international food security.
The January 2026 partnership between CE-LAB and FoodChain ID establishes the first comprehensive certification schema for war-remediated land across three components: an independent, ISO-based certification framework for remediated soils and water systems; carbon claims verification methodologies to support farmers’ transition to regenerative farming practices; and agricultural extension services including farmer training, laboratory capabilities, and technology solutions. It is actively seeking funding, pilot participants, and partners with expertise in large-scale agricultural equipment.
Frontline’s Playbook provides essential context and scale for the costs and timeline of CE-LAB’s certification program, including upstream remediation costs:
CE-LAB’s certification program will verify that cleared land has met safety and quality standards for agricultural use, a critical step to unlock the value of remediation investment for insurance coverage, EU export market access, and carbon credit eligibility.
As of February 2026, demining efforts have begun but CE-LAB is in due diligence stages. The project will follow five phases: (1) Analysis, (2) Data Collection & Mapping; (3) Remediation Strategy; (4) Field Implementation; (5) Clean Soil Certification. Key to the effort is onboarding 200,000 farmers onto a National Agriculture Data Resource (NADR) mobile app (see below). CE-LAB will lead all on-the-ground assessment and laboratory infrastructure, as well as Ukrainian regulatory relationships. FoodChain ID will provide the expertise for certification schemes, accreditation decisions, and global standards alignment under GLOBALG.A.P., Europe Soya, GMP+ FSA.
Funding is being solicited across seven workstreams, as shown below. To date, the program has raised ~$100,000 of its $65 M operational needs. The program is seeking additional funding partners as well as those with expertise in large-scale equipment. Large multi-national funders like the World Bank are interested but have not yet committed funding.
| Workstream | Focus | Cost (5 years) |
| Field Operations |
|
$20 M |
| Laboratory Infrastructure |
|
$6.5 M |
| Remediation |
|
$10 M |
| Digital Tech |
|
$8 M |
| Farmer Enablement |
|
$4 M |
| Program Management |
|
$3.5 M |
| Overhead |
|
$13 M |
| Total | $65 M | |
Though Ukraine is still at war, most of the country continues to live and operate as normal. The program’s phased approach has prioritized operations in localities (Oblasts) with established security measures. FoodChain ID’s 25+ years of certification experience and CE-LAB’s partnership with NULES for scientific expertise has enabled the development of precise technical standardized testing protocols for war-contaminated soils. EU CAP compliance, agricultural insurance underwriting, carbon market participation all stimulate demand for certified land, reducing risks to financial investments. Finaly, Ukraine’s EU accession process requires regulation around safe land use, reducing the risk to market entry. The earlier actors engage with certification infrastructure, the better positioned they will be as remediated land returns to production at scale.
Recent news suggest Ukraine may formally join the EU in the next several years, likely before 2030. Having launched in January 2026, the timing of this program is optimal for strategic engagement, as it has not yet begun its pilot, and first certifications are expected by late-2026 or early-2027. Key infrastructure partnerships are established, the certification scheme framework is defined, and the program is actively seeking pilot participants and funding partners. Actors who engage now can shape program design and secure early-mover positioning.
The certification market will scale as remediation progresses across the 7.5 million contaminated hectares over the coming decade. Early engagement allows participants to build relationships, establish operational presence, and capture market share as the opportunity expands. Frontline Intelligence will continue to track this program and update subscriber s as financial details, pilot results, and expansion plans emerge.
