Annotation

The author in the article has analyzed the current state and structure of the land fund of Ukraine. The study is focused on detailing the structure of agricultural land. A disproportion in the distribution of agricultural land in the regions of Ukraine, caused by their topographic features, in particular, the largest sown area in Dnipropetrovsk region, and the least – in the Transcarpathian region, is determined. The factors that have influenced and are influencing the formation of the land fund structure are analyzed. Such factors include: topographic features, natural and climatic conditions, historical preconditions for development of certain agricultural activities, investment climate of the region, degree of plowing, degree of land reclamation, direction of agricultural activity (extensification or intensification). The author determines that the largest land users in Ukraine are large business associations (agroholdings), and only a small area of agricultural land is cultivated by individual farms or small farmers. Based on the factor analysis, the author identifies the main threats and potential opportunities for building an adequate land market and agricultural development in Ukraine, depending on the characteristics of the region. The ways and directions of development of agricultural activity and increase of its efficiency through rational use of agricultural lands are offered. The emphasis is placed on the need for a rational and reproductive way of using agricultural land in order to preserve their quality indicators and ensure the efficiency of their use, on this basis, the main directions of agricultural development are proposed.