Agricultural development under a changing climate in Ukraine: trends and challenges

Abstract

The last century was characterized by noticeable climatic changes. The whole world, including Ukraine has been significantly impacted. Such changes are characterized by increased average annual temperature on the planet surface, increased level of the water in the oceans, increased number of natural disasters and cataclysms, such as desertification, landslides, hurricanes, etc. Furthermore, the climate change coincides with the period of increasing food shortages in the world. The aim of the article is to study the dependence of agricultural efficiency on the changes in agro-climatic conditions of production in the long term and the impact of these changes on the cultivation of agricultural crops and their productivity. Research methods are general scientific and special, qualitative and quantitative, theoretical and empirical, comparative analysis. Agriculture is the sector of the Ukrainian economy that is the most vulnerable to fluctuations and climate changes. Given its inertial nature and the dependence on weather conditions, it is essential to make timely and adequate decisions regarding the problems caused by climate changes. Taken the expected increase of the air temperature in the Northern Hemisphere, Ukraine's food security will largely depend on the efficient adaptation to upcoming climate changes. The consequences and risks of the climate change for the food production vary from region to region, however the negative impact of climate trends outweighs the positive one. Thus, the research of the impact of climate change on the efficiency of agro-food production is crucial for the development of policies that would help to adapt to the consequences of these changes.