Prospects and Risks of Development of Reclamation Infrastructure in

the Nonchernozem Belt of the Central Federal District

N. N. Dubenok

, G. V. Olgarenko

, V. I. Bulgakov

FSBEI HE "Russian State Agrarian University-Moscow Agricultural Academy named after K.A. Timiryazev", Moscow,

Russia

Federal State Research Institution All-Russia Scientific and Research Institute for Irrigation and Farming Water Supply

Systems “Raduga”, Kolomna, Russia

Keywords: Reclamation Complex, Reclamation Systems, Reclamation Infrastructure, Technical and Operational

Parameters, Reclaimed Lands, Modernization and Technical Re-equipment.

Abstract: The purpose of the research is to analyze the engineering and technical level and technical and operational

parameters of the reclamation infrastructure and the ecological state of reclaimed agricultural lands, develop

recommendations for the development of reclamation and assess the possible costs and positive effect, taking

into account the ecological state and the actual use of the reclamation fund. In this research, an assessment of

the technical level and technical and operational parameters of the reclamation complex of the Nonchernozem

Belt of the Central Federal District is performed, the reasons of the insufficient efficiency of using the

potential of reclaimed lands are analyzed. The main directions and measures were developed for the

development of reclamation and restoration at a modern engineering and technical level of the existing

reclamation and water-economic fund of the Nonchernozem Belt of the Central Federal District, ensuring the

functioning of the reclamation and water-economic complex in the normative mode and the use of at least

90% of the reclaimed land in agricultural production. The research results can be applied in the development

of state and regional programs of the development of the reclamation complex and ensuring the food potential

of Russia as a whole.

1 INTRODUCTION

The state program of the development of the agro-

industrial complex for 2014-2025 is aimed at solving

issues of ensuring the country's food security,

increasing the competitiveness of Russian

agricultural products in the domestic and foreign

markets, based on innovative development and

increasing the agro-technological level of agricultural

production, preserving and restoring soil fertility,

socio-economic development of rural areas,

reclamation of agricultural lands, ensuring the

financial stability of manufacturers (Ministry of

Agriculture of the Russian Federation, 2020; Federal

State Budgetary Scientific Institution

"Rosinformagrotech", 2018; Ugryumova et al.,

2019).

http//orcid.org/0000-0002-9059-9023

http//orcid.org/0000-0003-1225-3147

As the experience of agricultural production and

reclamation development in previous years shows, an

important resource and production factor for ensuring

food security can be the Nonchernozem Belt of the

Russian Federation, especially in the field of creating

a fodder base for livestock business. So, as a result of

taking a set of reclamation measures in the

Nonchernozem Belt of the Russian Federation in

1974-1990, more than 3.1 million hectares of

agricultural land were drained, the provision of

agricultural enterprises with technological equipment

and machinery increased 4 times, which allowed to

produce 30% of agricultural and livestock products,

of which 31% is meat, 40% is milk and eggs, 45% is

potatoes, 33% is vegetables, 95% is flax fiber, 70% is

feed (Consolidated report of the Ministry of

Agriculture of the Russian Federation, 2019).

Dubenok, N., Olgarenko, G. and Bulgakov, V.

Prospects and Risks of Development of Reclamation Infrastructure in the Nonchernozem Belt of the Central Federal District.

DOI: 10.5220/0010585800390044

In Proceedings of the International Scientiﬁc and Practical Conference on Sustainable Development of Regional Infrastructure (ISSDRI 2021), pages 39-44

ISBN: 978-989-758-519-7

In connection with the huge potential of the

Nonchernozem Belt, on July 28, 2016, in the Tver

Region, the President of Russia held a meeting on

measures to develop agriculture in the Central

Nonchernozem Region. It was especially noted, that

in order to increase the efficiency of the crop

production industry and the development of the

fodder base of livestock business, it is necessary to

introduce new technologies, more actively carry out

reclamation works, that will increase the yield, and

also put into circulation agricultural lands, that are not

used for its intended purpose.

2 PURPOSE

To analyze the engineering and technical level and

technical and operational parameters of the

reclamation infrastructure and the ecological state of

reclaimed agricultural lands, develop

recommendations for the development of reclamation

and assess the possible costs and positive effect,

taking into account the ecological state and the actual

use of the reclamation fund.

The article was prepared on the basis of the results

of many years of research (2011-2019) on the

assessment of the engineering and technical level and

technical and operational parameters of the main

production assets of the reclamation infrastructure

and the ecological state of reclaimed agricultural

lands. Methodological recommendations for the

development of reclamation include: a complex and

mechanisms for the implementation of reclamation

technologies, an assessment of possible costs and

positive effects, taking into account the ecological

state and the actual use of the reclamation fund

(Kovalev N.G., Olgarenko G.V., Mitrofanov Yu.I.,

2015; Olgarenko G.V., Gorodnichev V.I., Turapin

S.S., 2015).

3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The FSBSI All-Russian Research Institute "Raduga"

conducts information, analytical and static research to

assess the actual state, technical level, and efficiency

of operation of reclamation systems, including in the

development zone of drainage reclamation, based on

technical and environmental monitoring of

reclamation systems, with the development of

methodological recommendations on the

development of reclamation, taking into account the

ecological state and the actual use of the reclamation

fund.

4 RESEARCH RESULTS

The area of agricultural land in the Nonchernozem

Belt is 36.935 million hectares, including: arable land

- 25.94 million hectares or 70.6%, feed crops on the

area - 9.36 million hectares (25.4%), including

hayfields - 3.56 million hectares (9.6%) and grazing

lands - 5.81 million hectares (15.7%). Other lands -

1.49 million hectares (4.0%) (Consolidated report of

the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation,

2019).

The main agricultural crops, cultivated in the

Nonchernozem Belt of Russia, cereals and grain

legumes - 6.3 million hectares (43.64%), feed crops -

6.64 million hectares (44.49%), including perennial

grasses - 4.97 million hectares (34.46%). The

structure of cultivated areas: grain and grain legumes

crops - 30.1%; industrial crops - 0.7%; potatoes and

vegetables and cucurbitaceous crops - 3.7%; feed

crops - 65.5%.

Reclaimed land in the Nonchernozem Belt covers

an area of 4631.36 thousand hectares, including:

irrigated lands - 398.5 thousand hectares and drained

lands - 4232.86 thousand hectares. In agricultural

production, 2323.6 thousand hectares of reclaimed

lands are used. Of 4232.86 thousand hectares of

drained lands, 960 thousand hectares (15.6%) are in

an unsatisfactory state, and on an area of 655

thousand hectares (13.4%) it is necessary to

reconstruct drainage systems. Of the 398.5 thousand

hectares of irrigated lands, no more than 20% is

irrigated, for example, in the Moscow region, out of

the itemized irrigated lands of 137.5 thousand

hectares, no more than 19.0-22.0 thousand hectares

have been irrigated over the past 10 years.

In the Central Federal District, with a total area of

reclaimed lands of 1353.06 thousand hectares,

agricultural production uses the area of reclaimed

lands of 816.7 thousand hectares (60.4% of the

accounting area of reclaimed lands), on which are

cultivated: grain and grain legumes crops - 43% ; feed

crops - 44%, including perennial grasses - 33%;

potatoes - 6%; vegetables - 4% and others - 3%.

As of 01/01/2019 in the catchment area of

interfarm drainage systems, which are on the balance

sheet of the Federal State Budgetary Institution

"Management "Meliovodkhoz", there is an area of

drained lands of 350.79 thousand hectares or 25.93%

of the entire drained area, of which agricultural

production is produced on an area of 227.32 thousand

ISSDRI 2021 - International Scientiﬁc and Practical Conference on Sustainable Development of Regional Infrastructure

hectares or 16.34%. The drained lands with an area of

123.47 thousand hectares, controlled by the Federal

State Budgetary Institution "Management

"Meliovodkhoz", have been removed from

agricultural production. Agricultural manufacturers

use 595.64 thousand hectares of 816.67 thousand

hectares of drained lands.

On the balance sheet of the FSBI in the

Nonchernozem Belt of the Central Federal District,

there are 445 reclamation systems of state ownership.

Under the management of 12 regional FSBIs on the

balance sheet, there are 445 reclamation systems of

state ownership, 4913.59 km of principal and

regulatory channels, or 9.69% of their total number,

122.7 km of pipelines, 6329 units of hydraulic

structures (HS) and 17 pumping stations, with a real

estate value of 6257.83 million rubles and an average

depreciation of assets of 68.14%. The amount of

budgetary funds, allocated for the maintenance of

interfarm drainage systems in the regional FSBIs

amounted to 182469.1 thousand rubles.

For each FSBI NCHB of Central Federal District,

indicators of specific book value per hectare were

established, taking into account the current state of

drainage systems, as well as specific indicators of

budgetary content. The highest values of specific

indicators of the book value of 49.4 thousand/ha and

47.7 thousand/ha were recorded respectively in the

FSBI “Spetsmeliovodkhoz” and the FSBI

“Kostromamelivodkhoz”. The smallest values 5.7

thousand rubles/ha and 7.5 thousand rubles/ha are in

FSBI "Ivanomeliovodkhoz" and FSBI

"Ryazanmeliovodkhoz".

The cost of maintaining the reclamation complex

is on average 0.479 thousand rubles/ha, with a

maximum value of 1.17 thousand rubles/ha, in the

FSBI "Spetsmeliovodkhoz"; minimum values: 0.102,

in FSBI "Tulameliovodkhoz", 0.108 - FSBI

"Orelmeliovodkhoz", 0.110 - FSBI

"Ivanomeliovodkhoz".

Out of the area of drained agricultural lands of

1354.0 thousand hectares, the ecological state of the

drained lands can be as follows: good, on the area of

132.0 thousand hectares; satisfactory - 428.0

thousand hectares; unsatisfactory - 368.0 thousand

hectares, including for the following reasons: close

occurrence of groundwater - 140.5 thousand hectares;

terms of surface water drainage - 100.8 thousand

hectares; the close occurrence of the groundwater and

the terms of surface water drainage - 124.25 thousand

hectares.

Lands, subject to degradation, include 115.0

thousand hectares of irrigated lands and 650.0

thousand hectares of drained lands.

Areas by the depth of the groundwater level, in

total on an area of 1131.90 thousand hectares:

groundwater level less than 0.5 m - 131.40 thousand

hectares; groundwater level from 0.5 m to 0.75 m -

198.90 thousand hectares; groundwater level from

0.75 m to 1.0 m - 294.48 thousand hectares;

groundwater level over 1.0 m - 507.12 thousand

hectares.

The problems and risks of reclamation

development in the Nonchernozem Belt are as

follows:

 technical level and technical and operational

characteristics of the hydro land reclaiming

systems and hydraulic structures: depreciation

of the material and technical base and

equipment; machine-technological and

resource provision: destruction and siltation of

reclamation canals, deterioration of the state of

drainage systems;

 a low share of areas of drained lands, used in

agricultural production and low efficiency,

against the backdrop of a decrease in soil

productivity and fertility: violation of

agricultural technologies and climatic cropping

patterns; lack of a planned complex of

ecological reclamation measures;

 development of degradation processes:

secondary waterlogging and colonization by

tree and shrubbery vegetation of reclaimed

lands; deterioration of the floristic composition

of grassland vegetation in reclaimed hayfields

and grazing lands; acidification of soils and a

decrease in the reserves of humus and elements

of mineral nutrition of plants in the arable layer

of drained soils; pollution of soil with heavy

metals;

 organization of management of the reclamation

complex: strategic and operational planning;

interaction with agricultural manufacturers;

 implementation of technological processes:

control, monitoring, assessment, statistical

research, information and staffing;

 insufficient financing of current maintenance

operational activities and maintenance of the

property complex, a shortage of specialized

reclamation equipment on the balance sheet of

the FSBI;

 lack of an integrated approach to the using of

reclaimed lands: integrated reclamation,

agrochemistry, agricultural technology,

cultural equipment, organic and mineral

fertilizers, agrolandscape farming systems;

 lack of a modern legal and regulatory

framework and human resources, necessary for

Prospects and Risks of Development of Reclamation Infrastructure in the Nonchernozem Belt of the Central Federal District

the effective and safe use of the reclamation

fund;

 lack of strategic investors and funds from

agricultural manufacturers for the maintenance

of intrafarm drainage systems.

5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A complex program of the development of

reclamation should be based primarily on improving

the technical level and technical and operational

parameters of the reclamation infrastructure through

reconstruction, modernization, heavy overhaul and

technical re-equipment of the reclamation and water-

economic complex, using modern achievements of

science and technology (Resolution of the

Government of the Russian Federation, 2012).

The main directions of scientific, methodological,

regulatory and engineering provisions and

implementation of a complex of reclamation

measures are aimed at the formation of agrolandscape

systems of reclamation agriculture (Kiryushin, 2010),

increasing soil fertility, preserving existing and

putting into operation new areas of drained lands

(Ivanov et al., 2011; Dubenok et al., 2019), due to:

 development of reclamation infrastructure -

design of project and performance of

construction and installation works for

reconstruction, heavy overhaul and technical

re-equipment, aimed at improving the

engineering and technical level of reclamation

systems, including: repair of water intakes,

main discharge canals, closed and open

regulating and conducting collector arterial

drainage, hydraulic structures on interfarm and

intrafarm drainage systems;

 implementation of a unified system of

agrobiochemical, agrotechnical and crops of

technical reclamation works.

Reclamation of waterlogged lands should be

carried out in a complex manner, systematically

solving the problems of increasing the fertility of

extra watered heavy loamy soils is possible provided,

that a complex aggregate of reclamation and

agrotechnical measures is applied, which should

radically change the physicochemical nature of arable

and sub-arable layers, and with this, water and food

soil regime (Consolidated report of the Ministry of

Agriculture of the Russian Federation, 2019; Kovalev

N.G., Olgarenko G.V., Mitrofanov Yu.I., 2015).

Reconstruction and technical re-equipment of

reclamation systems and hydraulic structures of

federal property and intrafarm irrigation and drainage

networks:

 scientific justification and design: integrated

schemes of the development of reclamation and

use of water resources, rational norms of

drainage and irrigation, based on optimization

of the seeding structure;

 technologies for the construction,

reconstruction and operation of reclamation

canals and closed drainage: new integrated

technologies, new technical solutions and

technical means, equipment and materials, the

use of unified structures and assembled

products;

 monitoring the technical level and technical

and operational parameters of reclamation

systems and the ecological state of reclaimed

lands using space remote sensing systems and

air drones;

 automated systems for planning and control of

water distribution and water disposal:

modernization of pumping stations, ISS and

GPS, automated control systems of pumping

stations, instrumental systems for water

accounting, means of monitoring the technical

condition (Ivanov et al., 2011; Dubenok et al.,

2019).

Implementation of a set of operational measures,

carried out on drainage systems, aimed at solving the

following problems:

 prevention of waterlogging of reclaimed lands

and elimination of hyperhydration, creation

and constant maintenance of the soil of the

optimal water-air regime in the root layer,

necessary to obtain high and sustainable crop

yields;

 regulation of the water regime, timely disposal

of excess ground and surface water from

reclaimed lands on single action systems and

maintain the required drainage rate and water

content of the root zone during dry growing

seasons on double action systems;

 creation and maintenance of normal conditions

for the productive use of agricultural

machinery and vehicles on the drained lands;

 protection and maintenance in good (proper)

and efficient state of all elements of drainage

systems;

 accounting of drained lands, control over the

reclamation state of drained lands and the

technical state of drainage systems and water

intakes;

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 improvement of the technical state and

improvement of drainage systems in order to

increase the efficiency of the use of drained

lands;

 systematic observations of the regime of

surface and ground waters in drained areas, soil

water content in the root layer;

 compliance with the requirements for

environmental protection, accounting for the

volumes of water, discharged by the

conduction drainage network into water

intakes, and control over the quality of water in

water intakes.

Ecological safety of reclaimed lands is ensured

through the implementation of the following

directions:

 increasing and preserving soil fertility: a

complex of agroforestal, biological,

agrotechnical, crop-engineering and

agrochemical reclamations;

 ecological regulation of the admissible impact

on water bodies, water distribution and water

disposal management technologies, that ensure

minimum water discharge;

 adaptive landscape systems of reclamation

agriculture with the use of agricultural

technologies of "precision agriculture",

minimizing the dispersed flow from

agricultural lands.

 a complex of land reclamation, agrochemical

and agrotechnical measures, including the

following main technological measures:

regulation of surface and subsurface flow; deep

underwinter plowing; leveling of the soil

surface; liming the soil; application of mineral

fertilizers; increasing the reserves of organic

matter in the arable layer; enhancement of

biochemical processes; seeding of perennial

grasses; use of crop rotations with reduced

rotation.

Institutional support is aimed at solving the

following issues:

 development and updating of the scientific-

methodological and regulatory framework:

new reclamation technologies and equipment,

operating rules, safety declarations, anti-

terrorist security certificates;

 state-private partnership, attraction of off-

budget investments: legal framework and

interface dossier;

 development of mechanisms of state control

and stimulation to reduce the discharge of

contaminated substances from reclaimed lands

and reclamation systems;

 training of personnel, higher and secondary

technical, vocational education: long-term

programs and targeted training, material

stimulation.

Target indicators of the complex of construction

and installation and maintenance operational works,

land reclamation, agroforestal, agro-technological

and crop-engineering measures: reconstruction of

interfarm drainage systems to service the area of

432.01 thousand hectares; technical re-equipment of

drainage systems to service the area of 613.83

thousand hectares; increasing the soil fertility of

drained lands due to liming and phosphorization on

an area of 759.47 thousand hectares; involvement of

drained lands into agriculture, not used in agricultural

production - 523.8 thousand hectares; performance of

crop-engineering works on drained lands on an area

of 608.4 thousand hectares, including 400.33

thousand hectares - on lands not used in agricultural

production; on drained lands, used in agricultural

production, to clean and repair canals with a total

length of 8640.52 km, including 4913.6 km of which

are on the balance sheet of the FSBI.

An expert assessment of capital costs, based on

aggregated estimates shows, that investments in a set

of reclamation measures in the Central Federal

District should amount to 51.80 billion rubles,

including: Federal budget costs should provide at

least 50% of the total investment volume in the

development of reclamation infrastructure

By increasing the technical level and quality of

operation of reclamation systems, as well as soil

fertility, it is possible to significantly develop the

fodder base of livestock business, by increasing the

area of fodder lands and achieving an average yield

of feed crops of at least 5.0 tons of feed units per

hectare, with an annual gross yield up to 5.2 million

tons of feed units.

6 CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of the program of the

development of drainage reclamation of the

Nonchernozem Belt in the Central Federal District by

2025 should ensure an increase in agricultural

products from reclaimed lands by 1.5 - 2.0 times

compared with the existing level of production.

Fulfillment of target indicators and bringing the

drainage systems to the planned capacity can provide

Prospects and Risks of Development of Reclamation Infrastructure in the Nonchernozem Belt of the Central Federal District

an eco-economic effect in the amount of up to 26.8

billion rubles annually.

The main factors of the formation of eco-

economic efficiency: increasing the technical level of

the HS - the quality of water use, operation, rational

use of material, technical and energy resources; an

increase in the area of reclaimed lands, involved in

agriculture; increasing the agricultural yield on

reclaimed lands - agricultural technologies, the

structure of crop rotations, water regime: irrigation-

drainage, fertilization system; ecological component

- increase and preservation of soil fertility, prevention

of degradation processes, protection of water

resources from pollution; improving social indicators

by increasing highly skilled job sites and rural

incomes.

For the successful implementation of the

Program, political and financial support from the state

is required and the attraction of private investors for

the construction and reconstruction of drainage

systems, maintaining a high level of soil fertility,

financial management, performing information and

consulting work, aimed at convincing agricultural

producers of the need to build and maintain drainage

systems in a standard state, as well as State

stimulation of investments by landowners and land

users in the radical improvement of drained areas and

the use of resource-saving and ecologically friendly

agricultural production technologies.

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ISSDRI 2021 - International Scientiﬁc and Practical Conference on Sustainable Development of Regional Infrastructure