Perspectives of implementing agricultural land market in Ukraine within the context of reforms of agrarian sector

Abstract

The relevance of the study comes from Ukraine being the largest agricultural country on the European continent by its size, with 41.5 million ha, and the second-largest arable land on the continent, mainly comprising humus-rich chernozems. Agriculture and agribusiness remain one of the driving forces of Ukraine’s economy, generating 15% of its GDP, employing 20% of the working population and accounting for 40% of the country’s exports. To support and bolster the agricultural sector, the state is developing and implementing reforms, the most significant of which is the introduction of a land market. In this context, Ukrainian agriculture has favourable conditions for development, but the exact effect of the implemented reforms remains unclear. The purpose of the study is to assess the state and trends in the development of agriculture in Ukraine in the context of ongoing reforms. The study employed the following methods: abstract-logical (through this method the main aspects of land reform and economic reform development strategy were identified), system analysis (the state of the Ukrainian economy was assessed), retrospective (the development of the agro-sector since Ukraine gained its independence was considered) and predictive (possible development scenarios were suggested). It was determined that it will take some time to manifest all the positive aspects of the reform, and its implementation involves a number of risks for small-scale farming. It became clear that climate changes also have an impact on agricultural productivity, and under its influence, some lands in Ukraine (e.g., the south) have already started to lose their value due to global environmental issues. The practical significance lies in determining the status and trends of agricultural development in the context of the structural reform of the national economy of Ukraine