The purpose of the article is to study the efficiency of the agricultural sector of the economy in terms of assessing the optimal use of limited resources to ensure the maximum level of food security in the context of achieving sustainable development goals.

Research methods. When carrying out the research, a set of general scientific methods and techniques were used: monographic - in the study of domestic and foreign publications on the above-mentioned problems; Data Envelopment Analysis - for a nonparametric assessment of the relative efficiency of the agricultural sector of the economy in terms of the optimal use of limited resources to ensure the maximum level of food security in the context of achieving sustainable development goals; a systematic approach based on the principles of systems analysis and synthesis - to substantiate the relationship between sustainable development and food security, as well as the efficiency of agricultural production; abstract logical - for theoretical generalization of research results; economic analysis - to study the efficiency of agricultural production.

Research results. The dynamics of the use of the DEA method has been studied and analyzed. On the basis of a system analysis, the efficiency of the agricultural sector of the economy has been investigated in terms of assessing the optimal use of limited resources to ensure the maximum level of food security in the context of achieving sustainable development goals. It was found that for the period of data analysis from 2015 to 2019, none of the regions approached the border of the effective use of agricultural potential to ensure the maximum level of production of the main types of agricultural products per person.

Scientific novelty. Based on a combination of the theory of socioeconomic and sustainable development, further study of theoretical and methodological approaches to assessing effective agricultural production using the DEA method was obtained.

Practical significance. The research results will have practical use in the development and substantiation of regional and national strategies for the development of agro-industrial production, as well as in further scientific research.