ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Sustainable development is defined not only as an economic category but also as a human need. Sustainable development should not only be viewed from a theoretical perspective, but also empirical indicators. The need to know how much natural resource capacity is available, how much capacity is needed and how much natural resources are consumed, led to the development of a model called the ecological footprint or measure of sustainability. Ecological footprint is a measurable unit that is expressed in global hectares (g/ha) and represents the total area of ​​bioproductive land and water that are necessary for the Earth's population to meet its needs and to accumulate or decompose waste. In 2024, the total ecological footprint increased by 0.5% compared to the previous year, while the total biocapacity increased by 0.4% in the same time period. The biocapacity of the world in 2024 is estimated at 1.5 global hectares per person. Humanity's ecological footprint is 2.6 global hectares per person, of which 61% is its carbon footprint. Agriculture is defined at the world level as an area with a high participation in the production of greenhouse gases and ecological footprint. In the total production of carbon dioxide (6 million tons of CO₂eq emissions), agriculture takes part in 66%, processing industry 24%, transport and storage 5% and retail 5%. The impact of agricultural production on the environment occurs during the primary production process, which further indicates the importance of gas production from agriculture as part of the ecological footprint. The aim of the work is to point out the importance of the ecological footprint and the ecological deficit of resources, as well as the advantages of sustainable food production.