LAND RESOURCE PRODUCTIVITY AS AN INDICATOR OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT UNDER CONDITIONS OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE
Abstract
The article examines land resource productivity as an indicator of sustainable development under conditions of transformational change. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to assess land use efficiency in the context of climate challenges, institutional transformations and external shocks, including military impacts. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the role of land productivity as a key indicator of sustainable development and to evaluate its changes in a cross-country dimension using an index-based approach. The author proposes a comprehensive methodological approach to assessing land resource quality, which integrates land productivity, soil condition and water regime indicators. This approach allows moving from traditional structural analysis of land use to a functional assessment of its efficiency and sustainability. The study is based on the analysis of cereal yield as a representative and comparable indicator of land productivity across countries. The empirical analysis covers the period 2000–2023 and includes a sample of countries representing different models of land use, including developed economies, transition economies and countries exposed to land degradation risks. The results reveal significant cross-country differentiation in land productivity dynamics and identify four main development trajectories: intensive growth, moderate stable growth, stabilized development and instability driven by climatic factors. It is substantiated that high growth rates of land productivity do not always correspond to the principles of sustainable development, as they may be associated with increased intensity of land use and higher risks of soil degradation. Therefore, land productivity should be considered in conjunction with other components of the SDG 15.3.1 indicator, particularly soil organic carbon and water availability. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the justification of land productivity as an independent indicator of sustainable development in a cross-country comparative context. The practical significance of the results is determined by their applicability in the development of strategies for sustainable land management, improving the efficiency of land use and supporting decision-making in agricultural policy under conditions of transformational change.
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