Managing Change in Land Resource Use: The European Experience

Abstract

The subject of the study is the management of shifts in the use of land resources. Methodology. The research uses general scientific methods: theoretical generalization, methods of positive and normative analysis, and methods of statistical analysis. The goal is to study the European experience of managing the changes in the use of land resources. Research conclusion. The comparative characteristics of the state of land use in European countries and Ukraine were carried out. The place of Ukraine in the European land use is shown. Today in Ukraine 32.7 million hectares of arable land is cultivated, which is about one third of the European arable land. According to the statistics, one Ukrainian has twice as much agricultural land as one European. The total area of Ukraine on the scale of Europe occupies about 6% of its territory, the area of agricultural land is 19% of agricultural land in Europe. The level of arable land in Ukraine is 54%, while in Europe this indicator reaches barely 35%. The main stages of changes in the use of land resources through the prism of the normative and legal component of land reform are highlighted. Retrospective data on the formation of land relations, as well as the formation of the land market in Ukraine are revealed. The main structure of all Ukrainian lands was analyzed. The analysis of the ownership structure of agricultural land shows that the majority of land is privately owned – 31.0 million hectares or 75%, 8.7 million hectares or 21% are state owned, and 1.7 million hectares or 4% are communally owned. The dynamics of price changes for agricultural land in European countries are presented. It was noted that in comparison with 1990, before the establishment of an independent state, there have been drastic changes in the distribution of land according to forms of ownership, which is a direct result of the land reform. It was emphasized that despite the lifting of the moratorium on the sale of agricultural land, the land reform is still ongoing, and in connection with it, significant changes in the use of land resources are taking place. One of the most difficult tasks is to complete the reform of land relations and establish a unified land use system that can combine the freedom of land ownership, its effective use and social justice in the distribution of land. The world experience of managing changes in the use of land resources has shown that the liberalization of the agricultural land market has different scenarios for different countries. The Ukrainian economy has been in need of market opening for a long time.