COP29 Exclusive: The World Food Prize Laureate turning Mines to Vines

Heidi Kuhn walks Karabakh’s minefields, urging global action at COP29 to clear landmines, restore agriculture, and ensure safe, fertile lands for a sustainable future.

Heidi Kuhn, World Food Prize Laureate and Founder of Roots of Peace, joined Umud Mirzayev, President of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), in walking Karabakh’s minefields to spotlight the urgent need for landmine eradication.

Their initiative, "MINES TO VINES," envisions transforming dangerous, mined land into fertile vineyards, restoring Karabakh's agricultural legacy.

While global leaders meet at COP29 in Baku, just three hours from Karabakh’s minefields, the region remains burdened with 1.5 million hidden landmines, endangering lives and the environment. Since 2020, 382 Azerbaijanis have fallen victim to these deadly remnants of war.

"The COP29 theme, In Solidarity for a Green World, cannot be achieved without safe, arable land," said Kuhn.

"Landmines and conflict prevent sustainable farming, threatening efforts to feed a growing global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050."

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