The financialisation of farmland in Ukraine

Abstract

The financialisation of land is an important but still under-researched component of the land-grabbing process. This is particularly valid for the post-soviet region. In this paper we sketch the increasing financialisation of farmland in Ukraine. We show how the ruling class, the Ukrainian oligarchs, use the (international) state-economy relations to get farmland under their control. Agroholdings are the key instrument in this regard, an instrument which enables the oligarchs to pool capital from international financial market actors. This rise of agroholdings furthers the agro-industrial model and crowds out small-scale farming.