AGRICULTURAL LAND USE MANAGMENT ASPECTS IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION COUNTRIES

The aim of the present research is to analyse the key land use indicators for six countries of the Baltic Sea region in order to identify the size of agricultural area needed for earning a minimum income in the main agricultural sectors. It is important that land resources are managed both sustainably and efficiently, producing agricultural products and generating revenue. The present research analysed the indicators of land use and labour productivity for crop, dairy and grazing livestock farms in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Finland and Sweden. The research found that in the European Union, the average agricultural area per farm was the largest in crop farming, while the highest average labour consumption was specific to dairy farming, which was the most profitable industry as well. However, significant disparities among the countries exist concerning the indicators analysed, and Latvia's farms have to considerably increase their labour productivity both in crop farming and in dairy farming, while high indicators were achieved in grazing livestock farming.