The article contains research on use of open and specialized geoinformation systems to prepare students and postgraduates on specialties: 101 “Environmental Sciences”, 103 “Earth Sciences”, 122 “Computer Sciences”, 183 “Environmental Technologies”. Analysis of the most common world open geoinformation systems is done. Experience of geoinformation systems use for students and postgraduates teaching for different specialties is described. Predominant orientation towards the use of geoinformation systems in educational process is determined based on the analysis of scientific publications and curricula of the most popular Ukrainian universities. According to the authors the material that is given narrows knowledge and skills of students and postgraduates, particularly in computer modeling. It is concluded that ability of students and postgraduates to use geoinformation systems is interdisciplinary. In particular, it develops knowledge and skills in computer modeling of various processes that may arise in the further professional activity. Examples of professional issues and ways to solve them using geoinformation systems are given. Recommendations are given on the use of open and specialized geoinformation systems in the educational process. It is recommended to use both proprietary (ArcGis, MapInfo) and open GIS (uDIG, QGIS, Whitebox GAT) to teach students. Open GIS (uDIG, QGIS, Whitebox GAT) and specialized (Modular GIS Environment, GEO + CAD, GeoniCS, AISEEM) can be used to teach both students and postgraduates.

Background. Ash and slag disposal areas of Ukrainian thermal power plants accumulate large amounts of waste annually. Objectives. The aim of the present study was to analyze the composition of ash and slag wastes generated during combustion of coal at Ukrainian thermal power plants and the potential affects of disposal areas on the environment. Methods. A literature search was conducted using the Google search engine to access online academic publications indexed in Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Clarivate Analytics (Web of Science), ScienceDirect, ResearchGate and Springer Link from 2011 in English and Ukrainian. Results. After analyzing the 25 academic articles included in the present review, the results indicated that hazardous constituents (oxides of silicon, aluminium, iron, calcium and magnesium) of ash can migrate from the ash dump surface by air and water to contaminate the atmosphere, soil, groundwater and surface water in areas located within a few kilometers from the waste site. Conclusions. By-products of the fuel and energy complex of Ukraine are potentially dangerous sources of environmental pollution. They create risks to the health of the population living in the surrounding territories. Further studies should focus on the features of pollutant transfer from ash dumps, and development of appropriate mathematical models of the pollutant migration to assess pollution levels in soil, groundwater and air. Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests.

The aim of the article is to study the information support of the institutional field and state regulation of agricultural development of Ukraine through the analysis of current strategies and tools and programs of state support. The relevance of the study is due to the significant increase in the role of state support for key sectors of the economy in a systemic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic COVID-19 and restrictive quarantine measures. Limitation of budget funds implies an urgent need for their most rational use, identifying trends and areas of which this study is devoted. The research methodology is based on comparative analysis, economic and mathematical modeling, methods of assessing the effectiveness of budget programs, the use of analytical surveys, statistics on self-assessment of agribusiness and data from independent news agencies on the effectiveness of government regulation. The information base is the regulatory framework for state support of the agricultural sector, analytical studies on budget support for the agricultural sector and budget expenditures for agricultural development were based on official data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine. The study analyses some components of the Strategy for the development of the agricultural sector of Ukraine, the Concept of development of farms and agricultural cooperation for 2018-2020, the project and the place of state support in its regulation. The dynamics of state support for 2016-2019 is shown, the main factors of influence are characterized and the dynamics of state support of the agricultural sector of Ukraine evaluated according to the OECD (Organization of economic cooperation and development) methodology is given. An analysis of the expenditures of the State Budget of Ukraine in 2020 on agricultural and rural development is carried out. The given research can be used at formation of current programs of budgetary support of branch, development of concepts of sustainable development of separate forms of managing – farms and peasant farms, adjustment of strategic plans, formation of their key indicators for monitoring and for increase methodological bases and principles of state regulation and other institutional factors of agricultural finance.

The article reveals the importance of state financial regulation as one of the most important tools for economic growth and ensuring the competitiveness of industries and the economy of Ukraine. The studies of domestic and foreign scientists on the subject of research are analyzed in detail. The state of enterprises of the agricultural sector of Ukraine for the period 2013-2020 has been determined. The study was carried out on the factors of providing agricultural producers with financial resources in terms of the size of the forms of management. The share of unprofitable enterprises in the industry for the same period is also analyzed. The achievements of the agricultural sector are described according to the statistical analysis of the state of socio-economic development of the regions in the period 2020-2021. The methodology for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the implementation of the state regional policy in accordance with legislative regulations is described. This made it possible to establish that at the present stage, the financial regulation of the agricultural sector of Ukraine is carried out without proper scientific justification and, as a rule, responds slowly to the requirements of economic practice, especially in the context of deepening the penetration of global processes into the national economy. Approaches to the assessment of the competitive environment of the agrarian sector of Ukraine and the direction of its state regulation are proposed. Theoretical, methodological, and practical aspects of assessing the competitiveness of the sector are disclosed. The necessity and possibility of forming a competitive environment by fiscal policy measures, primarily budgetary regulation, is proved. The problems of forming a competitive environment in the context of the current crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the place of Ukraine in the world competitiveness ranking are identified, and methodological approaches to the development strategy are proposed. It is proved that the competitive strategy is based on the existing resources of the industry (material, financial and intellectual), the level of development of various forms of management, the structure of production, marketing, processing, the formation of value chains and a bilateral state-market regulator. The directions for improving the quality of the competitive environment, arising from the paradigm of innovative development of the agricultural sector, are summarized and provide for the stimulation of small business in niche and organic production and large-scale industrial production in terms of the main indicators of food security, as well as the development of land, financial, credit and resource markets and the formation of equal access to them all agricultural producers.

The system of foresight methods is most often used to solve research problems that are distinguished from the continuity of historical chronology. The aim of our study is to search for new approaches to measuring, assessing and forecasting the economic and financial potential of the agricultural sector, in order to develop an adequate public administration strategy. We have set the task to answer what effect this trend will have for the agricultural sector and the economy of Ukraine in the coming years. We used normative-system analysis - an approach that allows to identify measures that stimulate or limit the implementation of a particular scenario for a particular research subject. This method is aimed at formulating policies and foresight strategies, which are implemented by calculating the financial potential of the agricultural industry. The basis of the research was the hypothesis that the financial potential of the macro level should be analyzed according to the current foresight strategy method, which involves (i) identifying the object of forecasting (agrarian sector), (ii) determining the essential conditions (targets that the financial potential for sustainable development should correspond to), (iii) scanning the environment (what resources and types of potential are related to financial), and (v) identifying alternatives and possible future scenarios (building a balance sheet of financial resources). The results of the statistical analysis suggested that the main determinants of the financial potential are:  the volumes, structure, and proportions of reproduction. Furthermore, the efficiency and strength of financial potential are compared with the main macroeconomic indicators of rural development. The results revealed that the necessity of state regulation of financial flows connected with the agrarian sector is substantiated by monitoring the process of forming financial flows in a number of key parameters with the aim of observing the equivalence of all management forms to financial resources. This research contributes to the previous literature on Ukraine context, where we proposed ways to improve the quality of financial potential, the conditions for its formation and distribution and redistribution in accordance with the National Concept for the Development of the Agrarian Sector (2015). Additionally, this research will pave the way for the adaptation of foreign experience, including international comparisons of financial flows and state support.