The article presents an analysis of changes in the agrarian landscape and the subdivision of its plots, using three Lithuanian municipalities as examples (Kaunas, Trakai and Šilutė). Statistical, comparative and multicriteria analysis methods were applied in the study. It was found that in all the studied municipalities, the area of the agrarian landscape was decreasing during the study period. The largest decreasing trends were in the municipality of Šilutė district, where the area covered by agrarian landscape decreased by more than 3%. At the same time, in the municipalities of Kaunas and Trakai districts, the area of agrarian landscape decreased quite evenly and did not reach 3%. It was also found that the number of agricultural holdings also decreased: by 27% in Kaunas district municipality and by over 33% in Trakai district municipality, but the area of agricultural holdings increased in all of the studied municipalities: in Kaunas district by over 5%, in Trakai district by over 37% and in Šilutė district by over 8%. The average size of a farm in Kaunas district remained rather stable, increasing by only 1%, in Šilutė district municipality the average farm size increased by more than 71% and in Trakai district municipality the tendency was the opposite, i.e. the average farm size decreased by more than 36%. The multicriteria analysis shows that the most common factors influencing changes in the agrarian landscape and its subdivision of plots vary between municipalities, but in general the following factors influence the changes in the agrarian landscape and its subdivision of plots: the land productivity score, the number of inhabitants, the distance to the centre of the city, the average size of the farms, the number of holdings, and the amount of land area occupied by bodies of water. The information collected and the results obtained show that in the municipalities analysed, the causes of change in the agrarian landscape and its subdivision of plots have a positive impact on the sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas.

The article discusses the prospects and advantages of using QGIS for solving spatial planning tasks. Attention is focused on the strengths of QGIS compared to other geographic information system software and the programme’s potential to eliminate the monopoly position in the market by well-known geographic information system software manufacturers. Even though QGIS is open-source software, this software product is generally not inferior to expensive geographic information system software. At the same time, the advantages of QGIS include cross-platform, rich functionality, the ability to use different geographic information databases, and the ability to connect and integrate various plug-ins into the programme. Particular attention should be paid to the ability to independently write plug-ins for solving specific highly specialised tasks in the Python programming language and their quick integration into the QGIS software environment. Examples of QGIS software for solving specific spatial planning problems are given. The possibilities of using QGIS in solving the issues of settlement planning, territory management, land management and environmental monitoring are considered. The conducted research gives grounds to recommend QGIS for wide application by developers of project documentation, as well as by executive authorities and local self-government bodies for analysing cartographic and project materials in making management decisions. This approach will help create a competitive environment among developers of urban planning and land management documentation. After all, today, many specialists cannot afford expensive commercial licenses of well-known geographic information system software developers. And any legislative requirements that oblige them to use them in practice lead to monopolisation of the market for these services by individual enterprises. At the same time, it has been proven that using the open-source geographic information system software QGIS will not lead to a deterioration in the quality of project documentation. The programme can ensure the proper quality, accuracy and interoperability of design and mapping materials created with its help and solve a wide range of tasks in spatial planning.