The problem of abandoned agricultural land is relevant in Lithuania, particularly in the territories where poor soils are dominant. The aim of this research is to analyze the statistics of abandoned land in poor soil regions by different estimation methods. The abandoned land was registered for the purposes of the research. Areas might be determined by using statistical data and by applying the results of a distant research method. The initially obtained data showed large differences among the areas of abandoned land determined by different calculation methods, and this might cause a lot of problems, in particular when clarifying the validity of the land taxation. Therefore the initial data of the research concerning abandoned land should be essentially revised. The results of abandoned land accounting and evaluation (inventory) in each territory should be checked and confirmed by the committee of qualified specialists. The reasons of abandonment should be determined for each land plot, and further use of the plot should be determined. Plots of abandoned agricultural land should be estimated for each parcel of the private land and registered in the cadastre data as additional information for estimation of the land tax.

The latest land reform in Latvia has substantially altered the structure of use of farmland leading to a great number of very small and fragmented agricultural holdings, yet, in terms of occupied total area and UAA, medium size (10.0-50.0 ha) and slightly larger (more than 50.0 ha) land holdings dominate. In Latvia the number of agricultural holdings tends to decline. On the contrary, the average UAA per agricultural holding rose (by 66%), reaching 23.2 ha in 2010. One can conclude that positive structural changes take place in the agricultural industry – the number of small farms has declined and the number of and the area farmed by large marketoriented farms has risen, thus the difference between the sizes of land holdings that emerged during the land reform and the land areas farmed by agricultural holdings has increased.

The article deals with land consolidation solutions in three rural territories of Latvia, creating perspective monolithic land plots in order to prevent land fragmentation and improve the structure of land properties. Although all three project territories are located in geographically analogical circumstances, established structure of land properties, their infrastructure and location in relation to Riga and other cities and towns prescribes different objectives of land consolidation. The proposed land consolidation methodology could be powerful tool in hands of local municipalities in order to promote development of to rural area in general, agriculture and other sectors.

The aim of the article is to discuss practical issues of establishing the access to land property during the land reform as well as today, and to propose solutions to the identified problems. The methods of research include the analysis of scientific literature and legal acts as well as the case study and the analysis of documents. In this article several proposals are made. It is proposed that the law should include the condition that the establishment of servitudes is allowed only in rural areas and only as an exception if the access from the state or municipal road cannot be granted. The legal solution must be found for the servitudes without the dominant property which have been established during the land reform. The right for local authorities to determine the dominant property should also be considered. The suggestions may be used to elaborate legislative proposals.

One of the primary measures of the land reform is to create the national land registry and related land information database, which can be formed only through a complete inventory of land. This article analyses land inventory data in the current stage of land cadastre functioning and development of land relations, as well as discusses justification of organizational and legislative preconditions for land inventory in Ukraine.

The subject of the paper is the change trends in the trade in undeveloped land and real properties designated for agricultural and forestry purposes in Poland with respect to the value and surface area of real properties sold. Another aim of the study is to present the differences between average transaction prices of undeveloped real properties designated, among others, for residential, industrial, agricultural and forestry purposes. The research covers the period starting from the accession of Poland into the European Union structures. The Polish real property market has been very active in the analysed period. The analysis of tendencies in real property sales transaction values in Poland in the time period from 2004 to 2015 demonstrates that the increasing trend prevailed from 2004 to 2008. Then, in 2009, the value of transactions decreased in comparison to the preceding year.

The changes in the ownership structure were to be implemented by the Agricultural Property Agency of the State Treasury, which, under the Act of Law of 11 April 2003 on the structuring of agrarian system (i.e. The Journal of Laws of 2012, item 803, as amended), on 16 July 2003 became the Agricultural Property Agency with eleven local branch offices. For the purposes of this article the monographic method was used for the overview of relevant literature and legal provisions, whereas the statistical analysis was employed in the data of the Central Statistical Office and reports on the activities of the Agricultural Property Agency. Until the end of 2015 the main objective of the Agricultural Property Agency was to restructure and dispose of the assets within the Agricultural Property Stock of the State Treasury. Since its foundation, the Agency expanded the Stock by 4.74 million ha. Over time, the operating conditions for the Agency were in a state of flux – they were being adjusted to the changing socio-economic situation. At the beginning, leasing was the basic form of disposal of the Stock land. After Polish accession to the European Union an increased interest in the acquisition of agricultural property was observed. By the end of 2014, as a result of land sale, free-of-charge land transfers or other transactions, approximately 3.2 million ha were disposed of, i.e. about 70% of the whole land which was taken over. Currently, according to the legal provisions, long-term lease is the basic form of disposal of the Stock land.

The solution of preserving and restoring the soil fertility problem of agricultural lands in the process of economic activity is one of the main tasks in achieving global food security. Implementation of a complex of soil protection measures, as a rule, ensures the preservation and even growth of soil fertility. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to determine the economic efficiency of introducing soil protection measures in the use of agricultural land. For this purpose, the following tasks were set and solved: the analysis of the current state and trends of the land resources use in agriculture; to investigate the tendencies of carrying out measures on preservation of soil fertility and prevention of its degradation; to substantiate scientific and methodical estimation principles of economic efficiency of introduction of soil protection measures in the conditions of Ukraine. The following basic methods were used to solve the research objectives: monographic analysis – when developing scientific publications on environmentally friendly use of agricultural land; comparative and statistical analysis – in studying the dynamics of the structure of the land fund of Ukraine by main types of land and economic activity; system-structural analysis and grouping – in the study of the nature and content of ecological and economic consequences of soil degradation, as well as approaches to assessing the economic effectiveness of soil protection measures; economic analysis and calculation of relative indicators – to evaluate the economic efficiency of soil protection measures in the process of agricultural land use; abstract-logical method − for theoretical generalizations and conclusions formation, etc. Established that soil degradation is now one of the most important industrial and environmental issues, which is the main reason for the inability to achieve high rates of environmental and economic efficiency of land use in the future. It was also substantiated scientific and methodical approach to determining the economic efficiency of soil conservation measures in the current market conditions, which is based on the additional income that is received as a result of increase crop yields on protected lands. It is established that effective protection of soils from degradation is possible with the systematic implementation of soil protection measures complex, developed taking into account the specific natural and economic conditions of each region or agricultural enterprise. The priority directions of realization measures on land protection are given.

The article presents the analysis of the change of land users in the Republic of Lithuania during the period between 1919 and 1940. The main factor affecting the relationship of land and its use was the political changes in the country, whereas economic and social aspects had less influence. During the period between 1919 and 1939 the land reform of independent Lithuania not only strengthened the country's agriculture, but also laid the foundations for the entire nation-state, it was one of the most significant achievements of independence, a real agrarian revolution, which intensified the land use. The main goal of the land reform was to alienate and distribute the state land and the land of large estates to peasants and to complete distribution of village land into individual farmsteads. Landlords were left inalienable 80 hectares (later 150 ha) of land area. The land from the State Land Fund was distributed to volunteers and new settlers (the landless) peasants up to 8-10 ha, to estate workers and rural craftsmen – up to 1.5-2 ha, as well as to poor peasants, state enterprises, farms and forestries, etc.

In order to promote the preservation of agricultural land and the sustainable use of its areas for the needs of agricultural production, on 1 July 2015, the Latvian Land Fund established by the state started operating in Latvia. The Land Fund was established to promote the preservation and use of agricultural land for agricultural purposes in Latvia in the amount of not less than 2 million hectares, involving approximately 0.4 million hectares of agricultural land not previously actively used in active agricultural production. The operation of the Land Fund is regulated by the Law on Privatization of Land in Rural Areas and the regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers on transactions with agricultural land. Development Finance Institution ALTUM has been approved as the land fund manager. The Latvian land fund consists of accumulated agricultural land, which is further leased, sold or changed. The main activities of the Land Fund are the purchase of agricultural land, the lease of agricultural land and the sale or exchange of land. The Land Fund buys property from existing owners who are no longer able or for any other reason unable or unwilling to continue to use agricultural land for agricultural activities themselves. The Land Fund is looking for a buyer or manager for the purchased property. For unleased and unsold properties, the fund organizes management — mowing, and bush removal with the aim of keeping agricultural land in good condition, cleaning up agricultural land and returning it to agricultural circulation. The aim of the study is to analyse the Latvian Land Fund's transactions with agricultural land since the establishment of the Land Fund.