Assessment of efficiency of the organic production development in Western Polissia regions

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to assess the socio-ecological and economic efficiency of the organic land-use through the economic substantiation of the organic production development in the Western Polissia regions and its impact on the population health. Methodology / approach. We used general scientific and special research methods for the study. With methods of comparisons, extrapolations, correlations and the regression analysis, we could give an ecological and economical estimate for costs using for the organic land-use engineering and for the feasibility evaluation of the organic production development. The synthesis method was useful in determining the socio-economic efficiency of growing organic products. The State Statistics Service data, collections of health indicators and the activities of medical institutions in the Rivne region became the initial basis for the present study. Results. We made the scientific rationale for the organic production development in the Western Polissia, namely, in Volyn, Rivne, Zhytomyr and Kyiv regions, determined the stabilizing costs for the quality condition of 1 hectare of agricultural land. Moreover, the absence of a direct and close relationship between the agro-ecological indicators of soils and the rate of land certification was proved. It was proposed to use the economic criteria for the agricultural land suitability relative to the organic production, as they are defined as informational rather than restrictive. Mathematical modeling helped to evidence the existence of a relationship between the volume of mineral fertilizers applied per hectare of sown area and the level of the population oncological morbidity exemplified by Rivne region, resulting in mathematical models obtained and applied for the predictive estimates of health problems among the population in Rivne region for the coming years. Originality / scientific novelty. For the first time, the assessment of the socio-economic efficiency of the organic land use was carried out with the involvement of economic justification for the development of organic production in Western Polissia regions and its impact on the population health. Practical value / implications. Key results of the study are primarily actionable for determining the ecological and economic substantiation of the development advisability of the organic production through the implementation of the ecological and economic appraisal of costs using for the organic land-use engineering. In addition to it, another key result is to set the level of reduction in the population morbidity due to a decrease in mineral fertilizers applicable per hectare of sown area.