Spatial organization of agriculture as the basis for administrative and territorial structure based on the principles of sustainable development

Abstract

Purposes. To study the possibility of using data on the dynamics of agroecosystems in the design of administrative-territorial entities (using the example of the Cherkasy region). The main hypothesis of the study is the possibility of scientifically correct “fitting” the production specialization of individual farms into the corresponding agro-landscapes, and subsequently, on this basis, justifying the administrative-territorial structure.

Methods. Cartographic, comparative-geographical, statistical.

Results. Analysis of the distribution of enterprises across the territory of the Cherkasy region confirms their compliance (or non-compliance) with the main natural and economic patterns. Thus, in place of the former 5th forest-steppe and 3rd steppe (2014) along the southern border of the region, the 1st steppe (2024) agricultural region has formed with signs of more pronounced zonal specialization (crops and industries adapted to the arid climate). Over 10 years, the number of farms has increased almost six-fold, which is associated, firstly, with the intensification of land reform implementation and, secondly, with the strengthening of the trend of “integrating” agroecosystems into natural landscapes. Despite the dominance of traditional technologies in the main zonal areas of specialization, a significant number of farms (about 30%) have responded to climate change over the past 10 years (2014-2024) by gradually introducing cover crops into crop rotations to retain moisture in the soil. Thus, most of the farms specializing in grain production are “tied” to the flat plains of the central part of the region. The Dnipro regions of the region are developing specialization with a focus on the consumer (Cherkasy) and significant irrigation resources – open-field vegetables, dairy and beef cattle breeding, and poultry farming. Only in the western regions of the Uman “cluster” is the most comprehensive crop and livestock specialization developing, which is explained by the relative autonomy of this territory. Based on the identification of production types and taking into account landscape diversity, an analysis of agricultural regions in relation to specific landscapes was carried out.

Conclusions. Compared to 2014, the configuration of agricultural areas has changed significantly, which has been fundamentally influenced by climate change. For the Cherkasy region, the main regional centers remain the cores of agroecosystems located in the middle of the four modern administrative districts (Zolotonosha, Cherkasy, Zvenyhorod, and Uman). A more accurate determination of their location, and, most importantly, the periphery of agroecosystems with subsequent refinement of boundaries, will require additional research, both with the use of special statistics and expedition data.