In the Rostov region, work is underway to create a system of agro-ecological zoning and transition to an adaptive-landscape system of farming. The Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Don region, Konstantin Rachalovsky, spoke about this at a meeting of the regional government, which was chaired by First Deputy Governor Igor Guskov, the press service of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture reports.
“Preservation and improvement of soil fertility of agricultural land contributes to the growth of productivity, increases the value of land, is of great environmental importance,” the head of the Don agro-industrial complex emphasized. - In recent years, the Rostov region not only fully fulfills the conditions for creating food security in the region, but also makes a significant contribution to its provision on a national scale. In the current global situation, food production is a strategic vector.”
“An important factor in obtaining high yields of agricultural crops in changing natural and climatic conditions is the observance of the technology of their cultivation, sowing dates, tillage methods and other methods,” the Don Agrarian Minister stated. – In order to improve soil fertility and increase the economic efficiency of agricultural production, an integrated approach is needed that provides for an increase in the share of phosphorus-containing fertilizers used, the development of land reclamation, including through hydro- and agroforestry measures, and the creation of an agro-ecological zoning system based on an adaptive landscape approach and the development of farming systems ".
According to the Don Ministry of Agriculture and Food, since the beginning of this year, Don agrarians have already introduced 552 tons of physical weight into the soil.
In addition, in order to increase the fertility of arable land and, accordingly, increase the content of mobile phosphorus in them, last year, funds in the amount of 100 million rubles were provided from the regional budget to the agrarians of the region to compensate for part of the costs of purchasing and applying phosphorus-containing fertilizers for fallow and fallow. 79 households were subsidized. In 2022 and 2023, 450 million rubles are provided for these purposes. During this period, "major repairs" of fields on an area of at least 200 hectares will be additionally provided.
According to the head of the regional Ministry of Agriculture and Food, measures aimed at improving soil fertility should be based on the principles of landscape planning and the ecological and economic organization of the territory of agricultural land. This determines the goals of introducing a system of agro-ecological zoning, including: protecting soil from wind and water erosion and preventing other processes that worsen the quality of land; allocation of highly productive agricultural lands; organization of risk-oriented municipal land control; preservation of existing and creation of new systems of field-protective and anti-erosion forest plantations; ensuring science-based management of agricultural production.
In 2021, eight pilot systems for agro-ecological zoning of the territories of rural settlements were developed based on the adaptive landscape approach. This year, 20 more pilot projects will be developed in rural settlements of 6 natural and economic zones of the Rostov region, which will make it possible to form an objective methodology for their creation. This work is scheduled to be completed in 2024.
At the end of his speech, Konstantin Rachalovsky drew attention to the importance of state support, noting that 2,5 billion rubles are allocated from the federal and regional budgets for the development of crop production and land reclamation this year.