The Role and Significance of Agritourism in the Post-War Development of Rural Areas in Ukraine
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article examines the theoretical and practical aspects of developing agritourism as an effective catalyst for the socio-economic recovery of rural areas in Ukraine during the post-war period. It demonstrates that the traditional agricultural paradigm—focused on large-scale commercial production—fails to address challenges related to employment and population retention. In contrast, agritourism enables rural households to diversify income sources, boosts local budget revenues, and generates added value directly within territorial communities. A three-tiered typology of rural areas, categorized by security criteria, is proposed: de-occupied rear-area communities (suitable for full-scale commercial business); de-occupied frontline zones subject to shelling and landmine threats (suitable for specialized, small-scale initiatives such as educational, volunteer-based, or gastronomic projects); and areas of active combat (where development is currently in a “deferred start” phase, supported by the digitalization of resources). A formal calculation model incorporates direct and indirect employment effects, a local expenditure multiplier (accounting for capital leakage), and the net present value (NPV) of investments, adjusted for war-related and landmine risks. Through scenario modeling and sensitivity analysis, it is shown that the primary driver of investment attractiveness and the sustainability of agritourism enterprises is not merely an increase in aggregate demand, but rather a systematic reduction in the risk premium—achieved through demining, the construction of shelters, and the implementation of insurance—alongside an increased share of local procurement within the supply chain. State and donor support is most effective when provided as grants for initial capital expenditures, which lower the threshold for achieving a return on investment. We formulated practical recommendations for public administration bodies, including introducing safety profiles for rural tourism establishments, clustering and cooperation among local farmers, developing veteran-focused and rehabilitation tourism programs, and creating institutional conditions to encourage the population’s return to rural areas. Keywords: agritourism, post-war recovery, rural areas, de-occupied territories, multiplier effect, frontline communities, income diversification.
Author: Kostiantyn Kharytonov
Institution: Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University
Language: English
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funder: European Commission
OpenAlex ID: W7225396998