Journal of Economics

Throughout human history, land has played, plays and will play with nothing comparable role in the development of production. Land is an indispensable condition for the existence of human society. Management of land resources is of great importance in the economy of agriculture and the country as a whole. In agriculture, the receipt of goods is connected with the quality of land, the nature and conditions of its use. It is an important productive force, which is unthinkable without the process of agricultural production.

Land in agriculture is functioning as the subject of labor, when a person is working on her upper horizon – the soil and creates the necessary conditions for growth and development of crops. At the same time, land is a working tool and the cultivation of plants used by mechanical, physical and biological properties of soil for agricultural production. Consequently, the land becomes an active means of production in agriculture. It serves as a necessary precondition for material labor process, one of the important real factors of production. The earth belongs to the non-reproducible means of production in agriculture. She is special, unique, original and irreplaceable means of production. Land resources in agriculture have a number of specific features that significantly distinguish them from other means of production and have a great impact on the economy of agricultural production.

The Earth is a product of nature itself. Unlike other means of production, which are the result of man’s labor, land is the product of centuries of natural and historical development of nature. Since the creation of the earth is not expended labor rights as other means of production, then it has no value. When land use is not made depreciation, therefore, it is not involved in the formation of the cost of agricultural products.

Land as opposed to other means of production can not be replaced by a more improved in the technical sense means of production. Without it there can be production process. For example, many other means of production in the process of accelerating scientific and technological progress have changed significantly. The development of tillage implements comes from the primitive hoes to modern plows and other land resources can be used only where they are. Land can not be moved from one place to another, while using most other means of production is not related constancy place. For example, tractors, cars, combine harvesters and other machines can be used at different places, moving them as needed from place to place at various distances.

Private land in their fertility is not uniform. Some of them contain more nutrients, other better supplied with moisture, others have a completely different structure of the soil, etc. As a consequence, for equal investment of manpower and resources per unit area there differences in the number of received production. Under the influence of labor rights, these differences can be smoothed out as well as worsen, affecting the yield per average employee cost and other economic indicators of economic efficiency of agricultural production. Improper use of land may eventually negate the role and value of all other factors of production.

All these features of the land as a means of production are the basis of theory and practice of sustainable agriculture. A person can actively influence the fertility of the soil. The level of this impact depends on the state of development of productive forces, their degree of technological application in agriculture (the use of science and technology, advanced manufacturing technologies, best practices)

All lands of the Russian Federation is a single state land fund. The structure of the unified state land fund includes the following categories of land: agricultural land; land industrial, transportation, mining and other organizations and enterprises, as well as resorts and nature reserves; land of cities, towns and other settlements, land of the State Forest Fund; ground state water Fund; ground state reserve.

To distinguish between such concepts as “the total land area” and “agricultural area”. The composition of the total land area include the whole territory, fixed for an agricultural enterprise. Agricultural lands are lands that are used for agricultural production. They consist of cropland, hayland, pasture, perennial plantings. Value of certain types of land in total land area is called the structure of land area, and the percentage of individual types of land in the total amount of farmland is the structure of agricultural land.

For comparison, farmland with various structures using an indicator such as conventional tillage. One unit of conventional tillage take 1 ha sown grasses. Conversion rate of natural grasslands and pastures in the conventional tillage is calculated by the formula:

K = Phys / Vm

With conventional tillage index smoothed differences in the structure of agricultural land. But it does not take into account the qualitative characteristics and soil fertility. When comparing the economic efficiency of agricultural enterprises and regions recommended rate commensurate arable land. Per unit of arable land is commensurate take one hectare of the leading agricultural crop in the district, region or zone. The coefficient of comparative fertility is defined as the quotient of yield specific culture in a separate venture to yield the leading culture in the middle of the area, region or zone. So, if the grain yield of wheat on the farm is 35 kg / ha, with average yields of wheat on the administrative district of 25 kg / ha, the coefficient of comparative fertility is equal to 1.4 (35 kg / ha: 25 kg / ha).

In agriculture, land is an active factor of production. At the level of agricultural enterprises to distinguish between such concepts as the total land area and agricultural area, ie land with some agricultural use: arable land, meadow (hay), pasture, perennial plants, etc. These lands are directly linked to agricultural production. They are a group of agricultural land. But agriculture can not exist without roads, the entrance to the fields, meadows, without buildings and facilities outside of settlements (farms, Kashar, pens, etc.). Lands under these objects also apply to agricultural land. This category includes the so-called awkward outside settlements – ravines, swamps, etc., assigned to specific landowners.

Thus, the total land area is an area, as set forth in an agricultural enterprise. And that part of the total land area, which is directly used for agricultural production, related to agricultural land.

Therefore, such indicators as the share of agricultural land in total land area (%) share of arable land in the structure of agricultural land (%) share of crops in the area sown (%) are used as additional indicators in determining the effectiveness of land use . Although the level of efficiency in the use of these indicators is difficult to judge.

Structure of sown areas – the percentage area of ​​individual crops (or groups) in the total area sown.

The structure of grain crops – the percentage of areas of individual crops in the total area of ​​grain crops.

Similarly calculated structure of the technical, vegetable and fodder crops.

The structure of the land – the percentage area of ​​individual land in total land area.

A structure of agricultural land – the percentage of certain types of agricultural land in total area of ​​farmland.

For the Rostov region is typical in the structure of agricultural land a high proportion of farmland, of which bolshinstvo – arable land. The exception is agriculture of the eastern zone, dominated by natural forage land – pastures and hayfields. Similar relations hold in the structure of agricultural land. The high degree of plowing farmland is already talking about the intensive use of land resources management.

The structure of agricultural land depends on the characteristics of land use and zoning is characterized by significant differences in economic areas.