Organic agriculture as a component of the sustainable development of the Kherson region (Ukraine)

Abstract

The current state of agriculture in Ukraine confirms the necessity of sustainable development of this branch of economy capable to solve the country's food security and ensure the effective functioning of the domestic market, fair competition among agricultural producers and consumer confidence, protecting their interests, rational use of natural resources and creating conditions for preservation, reproduction and increase of soil fertility. These components are focused in the resolution of the EU Council No 834/2007 of June, 28 2007 on organic production and labeling of organic products, in the Strategy for the Development of the Agricultural Sector of the Ukrainian Economy for the period up to 2020, in the Law of Ukraine "On Stimulating the Development of Regions" and in formulated on the basis of this Law "Strategy for the development of the Kherson region for the period up to 2020". Organic production is one of the priority directions for achieving the strategic objectives of the agricultural sector development. The initial stage for implementation organic technologies in agriculture is determining the suitability and quality of soils. At present, production of organic products within the Kherson region is represented by about twenty farms. However, studies show that there is a significant potential of land resources in the region, which, by most indicators, are suitable for organic farming. This makes it possible to increase the share of organic production in the agricultural sector of the region. The article presents the norms of soil suitability indicators for organic production based on soil-agrochemical criteria, which are divided into suitable, limited suitable and unsuitable land. The grounds for assigning land to one of these categories are ecological toxicological and soil-agrochemical indicators of land quality that meet the established requirements of values. Based on the data obtained during a solid agrochemical soil study in the Kherson region, spatial models were developed based on the basic agro-chemical indicators of soil quality, using the ArcGIS 10.1 program. Taking to account that within the zones of production of organic products and raw materials it is allowed the availability of land that is limited suitable for production of organic products and raw materials, and that is related to such land by no more than three indicators and no more than 50% of the total area of the zone, there were identified lands which can be used for organic agriculture.