The comparative analysis and prospects for the implementation of cross-border agricultural development projects in the polish-ukrainian borderlands

Abstract

The article provides a comparative analysis and identifies priority areas for the implementation of joint cross-border agricultural development projects in the Polish-Ukrainian border regions. A number of common and differing trends have been identified for the period 2010–2023. The development of agriculture in the Ukrainian border regions was negatively affected by the full-scale war, which led to a sharp decline in production indices in 2022. Ukrainian border regions also gave increasing priority to the development of crop production, in particular by increasing the share of industrial crops in the structure of sown areas, which allowed for a comparatively greater and faster economic effect than in the livestock sector. Polish border regions also showed a strong focus on crop production, trying to increase the area under crops, especially fodder crops, as they stimulate the development of livestock farming.
It was concluded that the strategic vector of agricultural development in the Polish-Ukrainian border regions should be reoriented from competition (which leads to mutual economic losses) to cross-border cooperation (which should be based on the principle of complementarity or complementarity). A transformation model has been proposed, which envisages a transition from the export of raw materials to the formation of integrated cross-border value chains. A key role is assigned to production cooperation in its vertical, horizontal and tolling forms, which will allow combining the large-scale raw material potential of Ukrainian regions with the technological, investment and marketing opportunities of Polish provinces. The directions for the implementation of joint projects (from the development of agrologistic hubs to institutional harmonisation and technology transfer) have been defined, which will allow the transformation of the Polish-Ukrainian border area from a ‘zone of conflict of interests’ into a territory of joint production and ensure the integration of regional agricultural producers into a single European food space as high-tech and competitive entities. The subject of further research may be the justification of each of the identified areas of implementation of joint projects into a single cross-border strategy for agricultural development with the subsequent implementation of its provisions in the institutional environment of Poland and Ukraine.