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The Geo-Ecological Aspects of Agrarian Land Use in the Republic of Buryatia

T. I. Abiduevaa and E. S. Nikolaevab

a Department of Land Policy, Ministry of Property and Land Relations of the Republic of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude, Russiab Institute of Nature Management, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ulan-Ude, Russia

e-mail: tabi-19@yandex.rue-mail: pear123@yandex.ru

Received October 12, 2012

Abstract—Qualitative and quantitative changes in agricultural lands at the period of land reform are considered. We determined the damage caused by a reduction in agricultural lands in the Republic of Buryatia.DOI: 10.1134/S1875372813030104Keywords: land reform, agricultural lands, arable lands, dehumification of soils, cadastral value of lands.

REFORMATION OF LAND RELATIONSThe transition of Russia to a market economy

coincided with the adoption of the Law of the RSFSR “On land reform in the territory of the RSFSR” of December 27, 1990. The reformation of land relations resulted in a radical transformation of the socio-economic and political framework for exploitation of land resources. The changes in the land relations extended to almost the entire population of the Russian Federation, given the possibility of privatizing household plots for rural dwellers, garden plots, and country-cottage plots.

Particularly large-scale reforms began in relation to agricultural lands. Within the framework of reformation and privatization of former kolkhozes and sovkhozes, more than 20.6 thousand projects of land redistribution were developed, in accordance with which 5.9 million citizens were granted the documents certifying their rights to plots of land, and 11.3 million certificates with the property right to land quotas. Those changes became the foundation for the creation of new organizational-legal forms of agricultural enterprises, such as cooperatives, partnerships, joint-stock companies, and peasants’ (farm) enterprises.

Within the Republican Program of the conduct of land reform on the territory of the RSFSR as approved by the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR of January 18, 1991 no. 30, the programs of the protection of lands against degradation, conservation of degraded lands and their rehabilitation were developed for 77 subjects of the Russian Federation. During the same period, aerogeodetic surveys were undertaken over an area of 178.7 mil. ha, as well as soil studies (44 mil. ha) and geobotanical investigations (12.9 mil. ha). However, because of limited funding, most of the program measures as foreseen by the land reform were

never implemented [1]. In 2001, the Land Code of the Russian Federation was adopted [2], establishing the principles of land legislation.

The objective of this study is to analyze the qualitative and quantitative transformation of agricultural lands that occurred for the period of land reform on the territory of the subject of the Russian Federation as well as to reveal the economic consequences of such transformations and propose measures for an enhancement in their rational use.

DYNAMICS OF THE AREA OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS

The years of reform in the Russian Federation saw a reduction in the area of agricultural lands from 639.1 mil. ha (as of January 1, 1990) to 400 mil. ha (as of January 1, 2010). Such changes are also observed, yet to a lesser degree, in the Republic of Buryatia. According to data reported in [3], during the period from 1990 to 2010, the area of agricultural lands reduced by 18.7 thou ha (or 0.6%), and the area of arable lands decreased by 122.6 thou ha (or 12.8%) [3].

Because of an increase in the area of pastures and hayfields (see table), the overall decrease in the area of agricultural lands in the Republic of Buryatia for the period under review was quite small in general. Thus, in 1990, the area of arable lands was as large as 954.6 thou ha, hayfields 355.7 thou ha, and pastures 1788.2 thou ha; in 2010, the respective figures were 832.0, 389.8 and 1858.0 thou ha respectively.

Annual losses caused by the worsening of the exploitation of agricultural lands in the Russian Federation for the period from 1990 to 2005 were, in the grain equivalent, 123.28 mil. t, i.e. 40.8% of the production level for the year 1990 [1].

ISSN 1875-3728, Geography and Natural Resources, 2013, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 262-265. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2013.Original Russian Text © T.I. Abidueva, E.S. Nikolaeva, 2013, published in Geography and Natural Resources, 2013, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 100-104.

SOCIOECONOMIC QUESTIONSOF GEOGRAPHY

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THE GEO-ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF AGRARIAN LAND USE IN THE REPUBLIC OF BURYATIA

THE QUALITATIVE STATE OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS

The reformation of land relations introduced changes into the qualitative state of agricultural lands. Monitoring data indicate that humus content in soils has decreased by 0.4–0.6% during the last 15–30 years with the result that 56 mil. ha of arable lands (45%) are characterized by low humus content. There occurred an increase in the area of lands undergoing degradation processes. In particular, the area of agricultural lands with saline soils increased from 12.75 to 16.81 mil. ha, the “saline arable land” from 2.31 to 2.49 mil. ha, and the waterlogged arable land from 2.31 to 2.49 mil. ha. The area of agricultural lands with solonetzic and solonetz complexes increased from 17.5 to 23.77 mil. ha, including the arable land from 9.1 to 9.51 mil. ha. Furthermore, the rates of gullying processes (10–15 thou ha per year) led to the fact that the area of gullies came to exceed 900 thou ha.

A decline in organic matter content, coupled with a stable negative balance of major macroelements in the arable soil layer in almost all regions of Russia, gives evidence of a decrease in fertility [4]. In 35 subjects of the Russian Federation, situated in an arid zone, including in the Republic of Buryatia, there are ongoing desertification processes.

According to data provided in the Annual Report “On the State and Use of Lands of the Republic of Buryatia for the Year 2010” [3], as well as in the State Report “On the State and Protection of the Environment in the Republic of Buryatia in 2009” [5], there still remains the tendency for the deterioration of the quality of lands: there are taking place intense processes of erosion, deflation, paludification, water-logging, and overgrowing of agricultural lands with shrubs and shrub forest.

On the agricultural lands of the Republic of Buryatia, an agro-ecological monitoring has been carried on since 1965; within this monitoring program, for reaching the maximum representativeness of the soil conditions of agricultural lands in the forest-steppe, steppe and dry-steppe zones, nine reference areas were established where samples have been collected every five years for analysis the contents of organic mater and major mineral elements as well as

heavy metals, pesticides, and the radiation situation. Comparison of results of analysis for organic matter

content using data of the last and preceding monitoring showed that the proportion of arable lands with low humus content increased by 3.2% to reach 84.2% (see table), including the area of arable lands with very low humus content (less than 2%), 178 thou ha, or 38.8%. Considerable areas of arable lands with very low organic matter content are recorded in the following districts: Bichurskii (73.6%), Zaigraevskii (62.1%), Ivolginskii (47.2%), Kabanskii (57.2%), Kyakhtinskii (65.4%), Kurumkanskii (47.3%), Mukhorshibirskii (52.5%), and Tarbagataiskii (66.3%). Thus the largest decline in organic matter content occurs in the steppe and dry-steppe zones on chestnut soils of light particle-size composition which experience the deflation processes the most.

According to results from our investigations, the levels of heavy metals in the arable layer in all areas have not experience any substantial changes over the last several years. Minor changes as detected from monitoring results are due to the different agrotechnical procedures of soil cultivation as well as to crop rotation. In recent years, the study territory has also not shown any anthropogenic biochemical anomalies associated with emissions and waste discharges from heat power and other industries.

As regards the levels of radioactive elements, the most dangerous are strontium–90 and caesium–137 because of their long half-decay period and their capacity to accumulate in plants. Data of soil monitoring and plant-growing products do not indicate any radioactive contamination in the republic: the radiation background in the soils of agricultural lands is below the natural radiation background, while the levels of radionuclides do not exceed maximum allowable concentrations.

Long-term data from analyzing the residual amounts of pesticides for their contents in soil and plant samples collected in reference areas as well as from continuous agrochemical surveys of agricultural lands attest that the contents of residual amounts of pesticides in them are declining steadily, and no excesses of allowable concentrations were detected. In the first place, this is accounted for by a decrease in the amounts of plant chemical protection agents applied to the soil in

Dynamics of organic matter (humus) content in arable lands

Humus content level

Humus content, %

Areas of landsmonitoring 1999–2003 monitoring 2004–2008ha % ha %

Low < 4.0 528 993.6 81 386 511.2 84.2Medium 4.1–6.0 64 947.4 10 65 218 12.2High > 6.0 58 305 9 16 518 3.6

Σ 652 246 100 Σ 459 247.2 100Weighted-mean humus content, % 3.06 2.8

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the region, and, second, by the employment of new-generation plant protection agents at small rates of application but with high effectiveness.

In 2007, a testing area was established in the Selenginskii district with the purpose of identifying changes in the state of agricultural lands and developing recommendations for prevention and elimination of the consequences of negative processes.

Our survey revealed the ongoing deflation and water erosion processes; their manifestations to a different degree were detected in 60% of the total area of agricultural lands. Also, hayfields and pastures exhibit a high proportion of moderately eroded soils. An even higher proportion is made up by deflated arable lands.

The main process causing desertification of agricultural lands is represented by wind erosion which is promoted by mountain topography, the absence of atmospheric precipitation during the spring–early summer period or torrential rainfalls in the latter half of summer, a low degree of projective cover, and by light particle-size composition of parent rocks and soils.

On the territory of the republic, slopes undergo plowing with nonobservance of soil-protection antierosion technologies, and overgrazing on slopes poorly protected by vegetation, including major felling operations in the vicinities to human settlements. The unique forest stands, occupied by piny woods in the dry-steppe and steppe zones which are of water- and soil-protection significance, systematically burn out, also as a result of deliberate fires on agricultural lands.

Thus the agricultural lands show the onset of dehumification and degradation processes of the soil cover as caused by a decrease in the supply of organic fertilizers, nonuse of the agricultural soil-protection systems as well as by deflation and water erosion processes. On the other hand, no negative influence of heavy metals, radiation contamination and pesticides on soil fertility has been revealed to date.

ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF AGRICULTURAL LAND DEGRADATION

Degradation of agricultural lands would involve, in addition to direct losses such as a decline of the yield level of grain as well as forage crops, a change in its cadastral value to be determined in 2012 within the monitoring program on the territory of the republic.

Cadastral appraisal of lands is central to the retention of lands for specific purposes. According to the law “On land” of the Republic of Buryatia, the lands whose cadastral value is higher than the district-averaged value by 10% are classified with specially valuable productive lands. A change in the specific purpose of such lands is allowed in exceptional cases only. To date the cadastral valuation technique for agricultural lands has implied making use of factual evidence concerning the yield level for recent years with due regard for expenses connected with their cultivation [6].

The Order of the Ministry for Economic

Development of Russia no. 445 of September 20, 2010 approved the new Procedural Guidelines for cadastral appraisal of agricultural lands. Based on them, analysis of factual evidence for recent years should be replaced by indicators of normative productivity (in terms of the soil properties) and normative expenses to be calculated on the basis of technological charts. In this case, the yield level of each agricultural crop should be determined on the basis of data from soil investigations and agroclimatic regionalization of the territory of a subject of the Russian Federation.

Since the physicochemical characteristics of the soils of the agricultural lands in the Republic of Buryatia which were used as the basis in calculating the normative productivity, have a tendency to change pointing to a deterioration of their quality, the new technique of cadastral appraisal opens up a real possibility of decreasing the cadastral value of lands in territories experiencing degradation. In such an event, one would expect a reduction in the area of lands pertaining to specially valuable productive agricultural fields. As a result, large areas of agricultural lands may well be transferred to other categories, thus being removed from the agricultural turnover.

If it is assumed that the determination of the cadastral value of arable land with very low and low humus content whose proportion in the republic makes up 84.2% will yield indicators not exceeding the district-averaged figures more than by 10%, then potentially more than 14% of all agricultural lands could be transferred to lands of other categories and also removed from agricultural exploitation. Geographically, they are the lands of the southern agricultural districts characterized by higher sums of active temperatures favorable for agrarian production. Obviously, low cadastral values can also be calculated for eroded pastures. In such a situation, the proportion of agricultural lands that have no legislative restrictions as regards a change of the category could increase substantially.

Massive switchover of agricultural lands to lands of human settlements is already emerging in the suburban areas of Ulan-Ude and on the shores of Lake Baikal, which is caused by a keen demand for tracts of land categorized as “lands of settlements” as well as by bans on virtually any construction, and on the transfer of lands of the forest reserves to lands of other categories. Furthermore, a decrease of the cadastral value would affect the amount of land tax revenues received by the budgets of municipal settlements in this category of lands.

CONCLUSIONSAt the period of land reform, the tendency for a

decrease in the area of agricultural lands in the Republic of Buryatia is attended by a deterioration of their qualitative state with an ever increasing aridization of climate. On the other hand, taking into consideration the fact that about 50 thou ha of low-fertility slope lands

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were plowed in the years of opening up virgin lands and that some human settlements, especially in the Central Ecological Zone of the Baikal Natural Territory, are currently short of areas for their further development, it is necessary to define the optimal area of agricultural lands, including the optimal area of the arable fields in order that the agrarian cluster of the republic should become added activity efficient.

Moreover, the most valuable agricultural lands should be defined as well as carrying out their state cadastre registration and developing the project of landscape-adaptive exploitation, a continuous monitoring of their qualitative state included.

REFERENCES1. Volkov, S.N., On the State and Use of Agricultural Lands

in the Russian Federation, Zemleustroistvo, kadastr i

monitoring zemel’, 2007, no. 4, pp. 4–8 [in Russian]. 2. Land Code of the Russian Federation. http://www.

consultant.ru/popular/earth [in Russian].3. Administration of the Federal Service of State

Registration, Cadastre and Mapping for the Republic of Buryatia, Report on the State and Use of Lands of the Republic of Buryatia for the Year 2010, Ulan-Ude, 2011 [in Russian].

4. Volkov, S.N., Characteristic of the Conduct of Land-Use System Reorganization in the Years of Land Reform (1991–2005), Zemleustroistvo, kadastr i monitoring zemel’, 2007, no. 7, pp. 3–15 [in Russian].

5. State Report “On the State and Protection of the Environment in the Republic of Buryatia in 2009”, Ulan-Ude, 2010 [in Russian].

6. Sapozhnikov, P.M. and Nosov, S.I., The Problems of State Cadastral Appraisal of Agricultural Lands and the Ways to Solve Them. http://www.kadastr-ocenkanp.ru/aktualnie%20publikacii/statya-1.php [in Russian].