A Study of the Shapes of Economic Phenomena for the Purpose of Elaborating More Rational Techniques for the Opening up of Tayga Territories

Starting from the premise that “shape is an important [spatial] property” (Bunge), the author analyzes the optimal shapes and dimensions of fragmented plots of arable land typical of Yakutia and other parts of the forest zone of the USSR. The optimal shape of an arable plot in a forest clearing is found to be an elongated piece of land of about 200–250 meters by 750–1500 meters and an area of 15 to 30 hectares. A program of land consolidation in the last decade has aimed at the elimination of excessively small plots and the expansion of mean plot size within the limitations of the Yakutian environment, where the presence of ground ice and thermokarst conditions produces a complex system of thaw depressions impeding the development of agriculture.