Problems of Optimizing the Structure of Agricultural Landscapes in Ukraine and the Ways of Their Solutions

Abstract

The structure of agricultural land largely determines the ecological sustainability of the land use area in general, and of the agricultural landscape (agrolandscape) in particular. That is why the optimization of the structure of agricultural landscapes in modern conditions is extremely important for ensuring the harmonious functioning of the agrosphere [5,10,17].According to G. Schwebs, agricultural landscapes should be understood as natural and economic territorial systems for agricultural purposes, which consist of a geographical envelope, which in turn is a set of natural elements with varying degrees of anthropogenic load, including with a different structure of agricultural land [6,7].In various scientific sources, there is no consensus on the optimal structure of agricultural landscapes and normative levels of plowing of the territory. According to many authors, in the most developed countries, the area of arable land does not exceed 20-35% of the total territory. Only in countries with a transition economy, this indicator is equal to 45-55%, and in relation to agricultural land -60-80% [3].According to specialists of the State Enterprise "Main Research and Design Institute of Land Management", arable land in the structure of agrolandscapes should make up 60%, natural lands -12.5%, forested areas -16%. As shown by previous studies of the Institute of Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, in agricultural landscapes optimized for the structure of land, depending on the soil and climate zone, 50-60% of arable land should be accounted for. The rest of the land (40-50%) must be set aside for natural biocenoses (natural fodder grounds, forest plantations, etc.) [6,14].Experts who studied the state of agricultural land use in the Dnipro river basin believe that in general, the agricultural development of the territory can be 64%, and the plowed area -49%.According to the calculations of the institutes of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine in our country, it is necessary to reduce the area of arable land by about 10 million hectares in order to reduce the level of plowing of the territory to almost 40%, to expand the area of forests, field protection forest strips, natural fodder lands, recreational areas, etc. At the same time, the ratio of ecologically dangerous lands (arable land, orchards, vineyards, etc.) to ecologically stable ones (forests, natural fodder lands) cannot exceed units [1,2,6,22]. 32  Ricerche scientifiche e metodi della loro realizzazione: esperienza mondiale e realtà domestiche .