DIVERSIFICATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AS A SOURCE OF SUSTAINABILITY OF INCOMES OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS AND AND A PATHWAY TO DECREASE THE ECOLOGICAL EXTRENALITIES

Abstract

The relevance of the study is determined by the need to analyze the consequences of monocultures in crop production in the regions of Russia, not only from an economic point of view, but also from an environmental one. The objective of the study is to develop ways for the sustainable development of agriculture in Russia, taking into account the possibilities for the development of diversification and the possibility of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The subject of the presented research is the production and environmental indicators of crop production in the regions of Russia. In the course of the work, traditional scientific methods were used - descriptive, analytical, statistical and methods of economic and mathematical modeling. The sources of information were Russian and foreign scientific publications, official publications of regulatory and legal documents and statistical data of Russian state authorities, as well as foreign databases on agricultural statistics. The results of the study conclude that in the period 2011-2019, the increase in crop production took place mainly in the Central Black Earth and South-Western regions of the country, where the plowing of abandoned lands was accompanied by an increase in crop yields (intensification), which led to a relatively low carbon track per unit of output. On the contrary, in the regions of the Far East, where the plowing of the fallow has led to an increase in soybean crops (usually low-yielding), this has affected a higher carbon footprint, which cannot be considered a sustainable characteristic for further development. Thus, the scientific novelty of the study lies in the development of scientific and analytical tools for the correct identification of regional and global environmental risks in assessing the efficiency of crop production in the regions of Russia. Thus, in our study, regional risks were assessed through the concentration of crops in the region or through the diversification index (variety of cultivated crops). Global risks were assessed through the indicator of greenhouse gas emissions, which also allowed us to estimate the so-called cumulative "carbon footprint" of each region in terms of grain unit of crop production. As a result of the study, policy recommendations were developed to improve statistical reporting on the agricultural sector. It is also recommended to promote knowledge about new and old practices for introducing diversification, incl. and the classic method of growing legumes in crops, which is not being successfully implemented by all regions so far.

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