LIETUVOS ŽEMES ŪKIO PASKIRTIES ŽEMES NAUDOJIMO PERSPEKTYVOS.

Agricultural land includes territories, in which agricul-tural farming lands, i.e. areas reclaimed by humans from nature and suitable for growing agricultural plants, predo-minate. These territories underwent work of many gene-rations and received funds of state or rural communities. Using the land for crops for centuries, trees were cut down, moisture regime was adjusted, stones were picked out and soil was enriched with humus thanks to organic fertilizers. The following works are attributed to agricultural land cul-tivation works carried out in the Soviet times: drainage of waterlogged areas, building of access roads, formation of fields fit for mechanized tillage, arrangement of cultured pastures and meadows for the cultivation of fodder grass in provided places. Considering the increasing food demand of the world population, preservation of agricultural far-ming lands as well as their effective use is the task of natio-nal importance. However, the areas of agricultural farming lands in Lithuania have been steadily decreasing. The ana-lysis of statistical data shows that during the period of 40 years (1949-1989) the area of agricultural farming lands si-tuated in agricultural lands has decreased from 4124.7 thou-sand ha to 3373.0 thousand ha (by 741.7 thousand ha). In 2009 the areas of used agricultural farming lands made up only 2641.0 thousand ha, i.e. the area decreased by 732.0 thousand ha in 19 years. Besides, looking at this period of agrarian reform the following significant negative trends are noticed: deterioration of economic properties of soils, extensive use of arable land areas suitable for cereals and other agricultural commodity crops. Comparing Lithuanian land use intensity indicators with the indicators of foreign countries with similar land use conditions it was found that by the value of agricultu-ral production per unit of area Lithuania, among neighbou-ring countries, was ahead of only Latvia and its agricultural production was about 3 times lower than the average in the old EU member states. However, in 1989 (considering the then area of agricultural farming lands (3514 thousand ha)), 69 cattle and 78 pigs were kept in 10 ha of agricultural farming lands, 3272 thousand tons of grain were produced and milk production was 0.92 t/ha. Therefore it is possible to state that Lithuania has potential possibilities to restore the former level of agricultural production. Preservation and improvement of agricultural farming land area is possible after the identification of main reasons influencing current indicators of the land use. The decrease in agricultural output occurs not only because of the consequences of the agrarian reform, but also because of the global trends, such as urbanization, decline in fertility, and less comfortable life and work in rural areas (in comparison with urban ones). The European Charter for rural areas accepted in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly on July 28, 1995 provides that it is necessary to avoid the started negative trends - rural depopulation and the loss of traditional farming. The data on the used agricultural farming lands - crop, meadows and pastures as well as declared orchards and berry plantations included in statistical records of 2011 - was used for the research. Agricultural land use intensity indicator can be expressed in part of relatively intensively used agricultural farming land (as a percentage of the total land area). Agricultural crops (for which a lot of labour costs are needed and crop production growing and harvesting processes are mechanized and the majority of production is not for consumption by growers but for sale) are attributable to intensively used agricultural farming lands. These are - cereals, flax, rapeseed, sugar beets and other root vegetables, potatoes, vegetables and flowers. Land use intensity indicator (/) in 2011 was the highest in central districts of Lithuania (up to 89.8), the lowest - in hilly areas of eastern Lithuania (from 9.4 up to 14.9), Lithuanian average was 54.0. Such heterogeneity could be due to natural, economic and other reasons. After the determination of their influence measures can be applied to facilitate efficient use of land. The influence of topography and soil characteristics over land-use conditions could be attributable to the natural reasons. Some of agricultural farming lands (peat bogs, waterlogged areas and destroyed soils) cannot be tilled or used for crop growing; after land reclamation works they are usually sown only with perennial grasses while arranging meadows or pastures. Possibilities to use agricultural farming land for cereals, rape and other perennial agricultural crops are determined by natural conditions and are expressed by crop growth (in natural conditions) rate (G) - the potential percentage of cultivated (arable) land in agricultural farming lands. Indicator G of the individual districts ranges from 68.4 to 97.7, the average in Lithuania is 85.6. Natural economic reasons also add to agricultural productivity score (B). The average agricultural productivity score ranges from 32.7 up to 52.35 in different districts of Lithuania. On average in Lithuania it is 41.85. In more productive soils more intensive use of agricultural faming lands is possible not only because of the larger harvest at the same cost, but also because of soil suitability for a wider range of marketable agricultural production. Conditions of farming, such as the sourcing with the means of production and land, are attributable to the organizational-economic reasons. Farms growing agricultural produce are seen as the territorial production system that depends on successful functioning of individual components - industrial buildings, land plots, connecting roads, agricultural machinery, livestock and inter-coordination of the volume and location of workers specialized in certain activities. During the reorganization of farms, part of these components has been destroyed or they were restarted to be built as new ones. It was assumed that these conditions are most favourable in areas where more former large agricultural buildings, equipment, agricultural machinery and livestock have remained, and farm size allows applying technologies recommended for large-scale manufacturing. Therefore, the indicator of farming conditions (U) is considered to be the degree of preservation of the farm, which is expressed by the ratio of the area used by agricultural enter-prises owned by juridical persons to the total area of used agricultural farming lands (in percentage). The values of indicator U in the areas of the country range from 0 to 43.6 percent; the average in Lithuania is 13.6 percent. The pair correlation analysis shows moderate correlation between the land use intensity indicators and indicators expressing reasons affecting land use intensity. 9 districts and municipalities, in which land use intensity indicators are affected by other factors, are identified. These factors are as follows: - rapidly declining population due to migration and lower birth rates; - lack of state support for agricultural production and agricultural development in terms of levelling of areas unproductive land. In extensively used land areas a rapid decline in the population is noticed, whereas the European Union and the state funds do not support unification of working and living conditions - in the most underdeveloped eastern regions of Lithuania an annual payment is only 38 LTL / ha higher than the average in Lithuania. Land use intensity indicators of some areas were influenced by the greater number of cattle kept, but the problematic areas of herbaceous plant area, calculated per capita, is about two times higher than the national average. Agricultural development disparities can be improved by providing better support for measures to promote economic development of farms and better land use. In addition to the major economic causes that make the agricultural land use worse, the lack of labour supply in the rural population as well as the lack of facilities could be mentioned. Therefore, in the further development of Lithuanian agriculture and rural development strategy and its implementation measures, it is advisable to follow guidelines drawn in the European Charter for rural areas. After the creation of opportunities for increasing agri-cultural production, and in some cases restoring its former level, the intensively used agricultural farming land areas should increase. The number of cattle is expected to increa-se in districts where due to natural conditions or rotation de-mand the planned area of meadows, pastures and perennial grasses will be higher (under the standards) than it should currently be for supply of grass fodder for farmed cattle and other grazing livestock. Forecasting changes in crop it can be taken that the rotational characteristics of grass and other extensively used areas and fallow land from potential-ly suitable for arable land in most productive areas of land will be 22 percent, in unproductive lands hilly districts - 45 percent, in the remaining districts -35 percent In the current agricultural trends the area of intensively used agricultural land is also likely to increase due to the relatively better conditions for crop cultivation: during the period of 2003-2010 the total crop area increased by 37.8 thousand ha (3.4%) on average. However, the average annual decrease in the number of animals over the same period was 22 thousand, in the number cows it was 14 thousand, so with the absence of radical measures to improve the situation in cattle numbers and beef production the decline will be difficult to stabilize. Preparing the strategic guidelines for land use policy, it is appropriate to examine feasibility solutions of the general plan of the territory of the Republic of Lithuania. Analyzing the situation one must assess what has been achieved while implementing the objectives set as the targets in the program documents as regards: -return of unused (abandoned) agricultural farming lands for agricultural activities; - support necessary to improve the condition of reclaimed lands; - land acquisition requirements for people, allowing to avoid speculation with agricultural land; - economic and legal measures needed for preservation of fertile soils and productive farmland; - acquisition of land in farm ownership in the implementation of the main temporary acquisition targets of the Law on Land Reform and the Agricultural Land Act. The major issues to be dealt with thus potentially leading to more efficient use of land and contributing to sustainable rural development are: the supply of farms with own land, use of abandoned land for agricultural and (in areas not suitable for efficient agricultural production) forestry activities, improving and harmonisation of the conditions for farming, restoration of adequate capacity of drainage systems, improvement of farm roads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Žemės ūkio paskirties žemėje esančių žemės ūkio naudmenų plotas pamažu mažėja, o žymi jų dalis naudojama ekstensyviai: javai ir kiti prekinei produkcijai naudotini pasėliai vidutiniškai Lietuvoje užima tik 54 proc. visų naudojamų žemės ūkio naudmenų. Straipsnyje analizuojamos priežastys, lemiančios žemės naudojimo intensyvumo lygį. Nustatyti probleminiai rajonai, kuriuose žemės naudojimo rodikliai blogesni dėl sparčiai mažėjančio gyventojų skaičiaus ir nepakankamos valstybės paramos ūkių ekonomikai stiprinti. Pateikiami siūlymai žemės ūkio ir kaimo plėtros strateginiam planavimui, galintys užtikrinti efektyvesnį žemės ūkio paskirties žemės naudojimą. Tarp šių siūlymų yra ūkių aprūpinimas žeme, apleistų žemių likvidavimas, žemės savybes geriausiai atitinkančios ūkių veiklos prioritetinis rėmimas, reikiamos apimties vietinės reikšmės kelių ir melioracijos sistemų rekonstrukcija ar remontas. Tai leistų atkurti žemės reformos pradžioje buvusį žemės ūkio gamybos lygį, stabilizuoti žemės ūkio naudmenų ploto ir kaimo gyventojų skaičiaus mažėjimą. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]