Methods of ecological and economic optimization of land resource use in regional agri-food systems

Abstract

Recent research on the assessment of agricultural policy results clearly shows that minimizing costs and maximizing profits, which have become the main criteria for agricultural producers in market conditions, do not lead to the sustainable functioning of regional agri–food systems (hereinafter referred to as AFS). The regime of sustainable production intensification is achieved through the synergy of three aspects of sustainability: environmental, economic and social. The purpose of this article is to present a new tool for optimizing and planning land use for the sustainable development of regional AFS. The application of these tools in practice is closely linked to the development of digitalization as a technological paradigm, within which appropriate information platforms should be created, as well as a regulatory framework that allows management bodies to promote environmentally and economically effective modes of territorial AFS operation.