Formation of a New Agroforestry Paradigm

Abstract

This article discusses the long period of formation of a new agroforestry paradigm, starting from the adoption in 1948 of a plan of forest protection afforestation until the present. The achievements of science of that time, put into practice, served as the basis for decisions on the global transformation of nature. Pilot objects of the early 20th century (Bogdinskii agroforestry reclamation base, Kamenno-stepnoi oasis) still serve as reference objects for agroforestry reclamation of territories, formed on the basis of a scientific approach, which allows them still to function productively. The main idea of ​​the plan was the fight against drought and desertification of steppe lands, erosion processes, and the prevention of sand and dust storms. The creation of 5 709 000 ha of protective forest stands, afforestation of 1 106 000 ha of gullies, fixing and afforestation of sand on an area of ​​322 000 ha, and the implementation of a large amount of planned activities in a short time put this plan into the category of grandiose projects of an international level. The authors of this paper would like to draw attention to the timing and volume of plantings of paramount importance: state protective forest belts and protective forest plantings. Understanding the importance of agroforestry for modern agricultural landscapes has led to the formation of sustainable and durable agroforestry systems in subarid landscapes based on a combination of agricultural and landscape-ecological ideologies. It is argued that, taking into account the ecotopes of the area, using a three-dimensional assessment of the agrolandscape and based on a nonlinear approach, it is possible to create multifunctional highly productive agroforestry reclamation systems in critical farming areas.