Dynamics of the condition of reclaimed agricultural lands in the Russian Federation

Abstract

Water reclamation contributes to a guaranteed increase in the yield of agricultural lands and can also negatively affect the quality of the land. Technical malfunction of reclamation systems, outdated reclamation technologies, poor water quality, and untimely drainage may result in such negative processes as resalting and bogging. In Russia, state monitoring of reclaimed lands is carried out annually and obtained data are used to identify soil degradation and pollution to fix the problems at the appropriate times. The Russian economic crisis at the end of the last century affected the state of the reclaimed lands. The authors have analyzed the reclamation state of agricultural lands in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation for the period between 2010 and 2020. The entities have been classified according to the reclamation state of lands located within their territories. The authors have evaluated the structural changes over the past decade and analyzed their causes. The research results can help solve the problems of federal and regional management of reclaimed lands. They are also applicable to solving the problems of choosing priority areas of investment policy to preserve soil fertility.