The Ecological Component of Sustainable Development of Agriculture

Abstract

The article is aimed at studying the ecological indicators of sustainable development of agriculture on the basis of systematization of statistical data in dynamics and determination of characteristic signs of ecological threat caused by the activities of economic entities. It is determined that, according to the conception of triple criterion by J. Elkington, the ecological component of sustainable development, on a par with economic and social, comprised the basis for the development of national indicators as defined by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The surveys conducted by the World Economic Forum indicate a pre-emptive positions of ecological global risks associated with extreme weather events, failures in the fight against climate change, natural natural disasters, decreased biodiversity, and the natural disasters caused by economic actors. As a result of the study, two groups of ecological indicators of sustainable development of agriculture are distinguished as related to the estimation of soil quality and biodiversity, which are expressed in SDGs 6, 13 and 15. Further analysis of the actual implementation of tasks in the context of the Goals allows to assess the degree of their reach in the near future. High levels of area plowing, uncontrolled use of fertilizers and linear waste-producing economic management models are the reasons for the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, a decrease in the balance of humus and nutrients. Gradual replacement of linear models with cyclic models can facilitate a regeneration of natural capital. Further research is related to the revision of the efficiency of resource use, the search for ways to reduce waste volume, as well as the application of the conception of circular economy at the local level.

Keywords

• sustainable development
• agriculture
• ecological indicators
• biodiversity
• soil quality
• organic fertilizers
• humus balance