ABSTRACT
Political and economic events in the 1990s brought about Ukraine’s independence but also once again led to dramatic reductions in agricultural output. Explanations for shrinking agricultural production can be found in an unsuccessful transformation strategy for Ukraine’s overall economy. Ukraine covers an area of 603, 700 km2. Along the east-west-axis it extends over more than 1, 300 km, and 893 km along the north-south-axis. Ukraine encompasses the southwest part of the eastern European lowland, and it has little topographical variation. A growing majority of the 48.8 million people in Ukraine was living in cities in 1999. Temperate, continental weather dictates the county’s climate, except in a small strip along the southern Crimean coast where Mediterranean climate and winter rain predominate. Damp and relatively warm winds from the Atlantic region prevail in western Ukraine. Current agribusiness organizations in Ukraine are based on five laws issued in 1991, 1992 and 1997.
