The humid tropics are exposed to an unprecedented modernisation of agriculture involving rapid and mixed land-use changes with contrasted environmental impacts. Afforestation is often mentioned as an unambiguous solution for restoring ecosystem services and enhancing biodiversity. One consequence of afforestation is the alteration of streamflow variability which controls habitats, water resources, and flood risks. We demonstrate that afforestation by tree planting or by natural forest regeneration can induce opposite hydrological changes.

A research was carried out in 2015-2016 in the Rostov region with the help of "VEGA-Science" satellite. The intensity of irrigated land in one of the farms in the region was estimated. Field experiments were carried out in accordance with the procedures adopted by GOST 17.4.3.01-83, GOST 28168-89, OST 56 81-84. To delineate the boundaries of fields and add them into the database, high-resolution data were used: the scene of 2015-09-28. 14 thematic maps to estimate the degree of degradation (from 0 to 3 points) were made up for the entire study area.

Aim of the paper is to explore the possibilities of application of orthophoto maps in determination of land degradation. One of the forms of remote sensing is aerial photography. Orthophoto maps are made from aerial photography with specialized software orthophoto maps were analysed in perspective for several years – from 2005 to 2011.The results are based on the expert. With each year possibilities of application of orthophoto maps are expanding. During the research, data of survey and SWOT analysis of determination of land degradation by orthophoto maps.

The article discusses the basic concepts of sustainable land use. The analysis of land use in Kazakhstan for sustainable land use in the formation of the economy was carried out, the economic foundations of a balanced land use were defined as well as the ways for their implementation were identified. The analysis of changes in the areas of land of different categories during the period between the years 1991 and 2015 was carried out. It was established that sharply decreased the area of agricultural land, and greatly increased the areas of reserve land, human settlements and woodland.

In Ukraine, degradation of land resources is a complex ecological problem, preventing sustainable development of land employment. Land protection from degradation requires development of measures in the process of land management at regional and local levels. Efficiency of the measures depends considerably on reliable information about quantitative and qualitative conditions of lands, due to the fact that it forces timeliness of the research. The aim of the research is to study problems of land degradation in terms of land management while developing measures of land resource protection.

The province of Punjab is the main food basket of India. In recent years, many regions of Punjab are facing acute waterlogging problems and increased secondary salinity, which have negative impacts on food security of the nation. In particular, these problems are more pronounced in the Muktsar district of Punjab. The observed groundwater levels trend between 2005 and 2011 implies that groundwater levels are coming towards the land surface at the rate of 0.5 m/year in Lambi and Malout blocks.

In the article is analysed the role of GIS technologies, their connection to the land geographical space, components and tasks of GIS, their role in observation of the state control over land use and protection of agricultural land, as well as ways to improve the system of state control through the introduction of GIS technologies.

This article reviews, from a socio-economic perspective, the current state of knowledge and controversies around the causes and consequences of global climate change. It considers the prospects for reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) which, according to the scientific consensus, are the key anthropogenic drivers of climate change. The focus is on two major areas of economic activity, the agriculture, forestry and other land use sector and the energy sector, which together account for around 60% of global GHG emissions.

Reliance on rainfall for agriculture and increased climate change and variability pose growing production risks in developing countries. Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by smallholder farmers who depend mainly on rain-fed agriculture, putting food security at both household and national levels at risk, especially in the event of drought. Investment in smallholder irrigation becomes a priority in developing countries if food security and national development goals are to be met, as their economies are agro-based.