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Ukraine has been a center of agricultural production for millennia. Today Ukraine is one of the most extensively farmed areas in the world. Of its total area of 60.4 million ha, 70% is presently devoted to agricultural production, and 81% of that area is arable land. This proportion of land used for cropping substantially exceeds that of other northern countries with major agricultural economies.

The abundance of agricultural land and a generally favorable climate contribute to Ukraine=s high potential for crop production. Nevertheless, currently there are deficiencies in meeting the country=s demand for food and other agricultural raw materials.

This situation is attributable, in part, to agro-political policies under the former command economy. Twentieth century expansion of agricultural land use led to both economically unsustainable production costs and an unprecedented increase in agro-environmental risk. The post World War II period was especially characterized by rapid escalation of cultivation. In some regions of Ukraine (e.g., Vinnitskaya, Ternopolskaya, Kirovogradskaya, Cherkasskaya)

over 90% of the agricultural land is cultivated. Today, 58% of the total area of the country is cultivated.

Annual soil loss in Ukraine amounts to approximately 600 million metric tons, including more than 20 million metric tons of humus. Moreover, biological activity of the soil has decreased, and freshwater resources have declined in supply and quality. According to World Health Organization data, one-fourth of the Ukrainian population contends with water supply contamination. Moreover, freshwater resources per capita in Ukraine are only one-fourth that in the United States.

Steppe conditions rapidly spread northward into the Forest-Steppe Zone of Ukraine. Droughts, which were previously known in the Kiev region only once a century, now occur approximately every 10 years.

Perspectives for Agricultural Land Use Rational agricultural land use is imperative in Ukraine. Existing agricultural systems are not appropriate to changing production, technological, economic, ecological, and energetic realities. With the additional pressure of transition to a market economy, a new agricultural paradigm is required.

In the view of Ukrainian scientists, a key element of this plan is the need to increase permanent pasture and forest area by 2.7 and 1.8 times, respectively. It is important to acknowledge that reforestation is necessary for environmental improvement and also critical to meet national economic demands. Two hundred years ago, one-half of Ukraine’s territory was covered by forest. Today, only 14% of the area is forested and mature timber is nearly depleted..

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