LAND USE SUSTAINABILITY AND INTENSITY IN THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION: A COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT

Abstract

Based on updated data from the FAO and national statistical services, for the first time, a structural analysis of changes in the SCO land balance was carried out. The paper justifies the identification of four agroecological clusters of participating countries, which differ in the direction of land change and the level of environmental pressure of agriculture. The SCO's average weight figures are obscuring interregional deep opposites, ranging from extreme levels of arable land to extensive use of grazing land. The results of the study can be used by the SCO Business Council and the relevant ministries of the participating countries to develop road maps for cooperation in the areas of food security, green agriculture, water and land resource cross-border management.