The dependence of morbidity on the environment has always been part of the subject area of geographical science. But recently, especially against the backdrop of the corona virus pandemic, this problem is gradually moving into the interests of Earth sciences, as it clearly marks the "relationship and interaction of terrestrial geospheres." The problem of the spread of ecologically dependent diseases of the population has long been in the interests of not only scientists and medical workers, but also geographers. The latter focused on establishing links between the quality of the natural environment of human life and the types of morbidity. V.O. Shevchenko, V.M. Gutsulyak, O. Y. Romaniv, I.M. Dudnyk, M. Petrovska, K.P. Mukha, N.I. Mezentseva, К.В. Mezentseva, T. Shovkun, D. Shiyan and others dealt with these issues.
In geographical science, traditionally more attention has been paid to the study of morbidity in either industrialized or urban regions. The development of ecologically dependent pathology in rural areas is no less urgent, both due to the long history of agricultural development of Ukraine and due to the significant intensification (using pathogenic agrochemicals) of agriculture in market conditions. At the same time, economic development of soils in the study area, as a result of long-term agricultural activity, in fact, was aimed at their destruction. The last 70-80 years have been carried out by deep plowing, application of mineral fertilizers and pesticides. In Cherkasy region in all areas there is an excess, compared to the natural background, the content of certain chemicals in the natural environment, which are manifested through the content of heavy metals in soils, natural waters, bottom sediments of reservoirs.
Against the background of more widespread data on the state of health of the population in industrialized regions, the situation with environmentally caused diseases in rural areas is insufficiently studied. Given the intensification of agricultural technologies in recent years, the risk of environmentally dependent disease in the regions of old agricultural development is becoming quite significant.
Among the areas of development of such technologies are the use of heavy tillage equipment, which leads to the development of planar soil erosion (deflation), which in turn causes dusting of the air. However, the natural biodiversity of agroecosystems is significantly depleted, making them less resistant to external influences and, consequently, increasing the risks of adverse natural and anthropogenic factors affecting human health.
To a large extent, the degree of disturbance of natural ecosystems by certain branches of agriculture depends on its specialization, which with different levels of intensity affects the environment, which provokes an overall increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases in Cherkasy region with negative dynamics.
The main task of the article was to analyze the theoretical features of the study of medical and geographical problems and morbidity in geography, including coverage of the health of the rural population of Cherkasy region and the relationship of respiratory diseases with the development of intensive technologies in agriculture. deterioration of the ecological state of the environment.
And the aim of the article is to identify the main spatial trends in the spread of environmentally dependent diseases (including respiratory diseases) in the regions of old agricultural development (on the example of Cherkasy region).
Mapping the main indicators of morbidity and further comparing them with different levels of intensity of agriculture will establish a general relationship between the deterioration of the incidence of respiratory diseases and the state of agricultural landscapes affected by long-term agricultural activities.
Establishing closer links between the occurrence of respiratory diseases and the state of the environment of Cherkasy region requires the use of special research methods (monitoring and medical-statistical direction).
Key words: morbidity, ecological, specialization, agriculture, spatial, Cherkasy region.
Time and Space in Long-term Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas - a Retrospective Approach