Agricultural Land Development Research Articles

Downscaling simulation of groundwater storage in the Tarim River basin in northwest China based on GRACE data

Groundwater plays an important role in ecological systems. However, it is difficult to investigate the spatiotemporal changes in groundwater storage (GWS) in the arid areas of Northwest China (NC) due to the limited observation data. Selecting the Tarim River Basin (TRB) in NC, this paper analyzed the variations in GWS and its relationships with climate factors based on downscaling the GRACE data (1 km × 1 km). We used random forest regression (RFR) to establish a model for GWS downscaling simulation by the grid data of GRACE-derived GWS, vegetation index and temperature. We also tested the validity of the downscaled results by comparing the errors between the downscaled GWS and the observed groundwater level by statistical indexes. The results showed that the GWS in the TRB mainly presented decreases from 2003 to 2016, with a significant decline in the southern Tianshan Mountains. The decreasing amplitude of GWS gradually weakened from north to south, and the fluctuations in the mountains were stronger than those in the central basin. The GWS changes presented seasonal differences, with strong decreases in summer and autumn but slight decreases in spring and winter. We also found that GWS in the TRB was more affected by temperature. The impact of precipitation on GWS changes was relatively weak, while temperature and evaporation had relatively significant influences on GWS changes. The negative effect of temperature on GWS in mountainous areas was still noticeable after a lag time of 1–4 months. The development of agricultural land and groundwater exploitation affected GWS changes.

Land Development and Role of Evapotranspiration in Climate Change

Analyses of underground temperatures have been used to obtain ground surface temperature (GST) histories. At individual sites, changes in the GST over time are synchronous with development which altered the evapotranspiration. At different, closely spaced sites, measured differences in GST between sites depend on the relative amounts of evaporation and transpiration at each site. These observations prove that a significant portion of the climate change observed on land is caused by changes in the amounts of evapotranspiration at each location. The magnitudes of GST changes vary from 0.6 to 2.6 C, for developments occurring from 8 to 52 years ago. In the temperate zone of Canada, these differences occur primarily in the summer. Our development, including urbanization and development of agricultural land, has produced a significant warming. It is best defined from underground temperature data.

Using the Mamdani algorithm for Location evaluation of linear objects on agricultural land

The paper considers an algorithm of using the author’s methodology for location evaluation of agricultural objects on agricultural land, based on an expert-qualimetric approach to the analysis of factors in the use of agricultural land and rural development. Location evaluation of linear objects on land plots used in agricultural production leads to violations of the integrity of land use, negatively affects the quality of soils, makes it difficult to carry out technological work on their processing, entails inevitable economic losses of landowners and land users. At the same time, linear facilities (roads, oil and gas pipelines, energy networks, etc.) play an important positive role in the development of the country and its rural areas and the agricultural sector as a whole. In this regard, the problem of evaluation the location of a linear object is actualized, based on the balance of interests. The authors believe that the first expert approach (pre-project) proposed in this publication.

A Technique to Evaluate Agricultural Landscape Changes on the Basis of GIS-Processed 1861 Demarcation Plans and Current Description of Kenozero National Park

In many Russian nature reserves traditional landscapes are objects of important historical and cultural heritage. To preserve and restore them one needs to deeply understand their development, formation and degradation processes. In the north of European Russia agricultural landscapes are often covered with forests and lose their features when agricultural activity decreases. However, structural characteristics of these forests as a rule tell us about their development and peculiarities of successions. The study aims at creating a technique to estimate the scope of former agricultural land development, model historical transformation of agricultural landscapes and identify plots of slash and burn, shifting, two and three field agriculture judging by structural characteristics of post-agrarian forests. Aided by GIS the study compares raster analogs of land demarcation plans of the second half of the 19th century and vector layers of present day forests with attributive data on the forest structure. The use of cartographic forest data and inventory forest characteristics to compare with former land management documents related to the plot named have not been found in studies before. High precision of present day land management provides for permitted comparability with old demarcation plans and allows one to use inventory data for inter-landscape differentiation of agricultural landscapes in the 19th century. The study covers a model plot within Kenozero National Park (Arkhangelsk Region) addressing 1861 demarcation plans and 2014 forests GIS developed by Arkhangelsk branch of Roslesinforg. GIS processing of 19th century and present day demarcation plans provides for modeling agricultural landscape changes in relation to separate plots, trace the influence of soil conditions and elements of agrarian use on topological and inventory changes of emerging forests and reconstruct the biodiversity of ecosystems in the past.

The distribution and characteristics of peat lands in Central and South Bangka Regencies, Bangka Belitung Islands Province

The use of peatland for agriculture is limited due to climate change and environmental damage issues. The Peatland mapping on Bangka Island was carried out by the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Land Resources Research and Development (ICALRD) in 2019 covering an area of 23,388 ha. The purpose of this research was to map and study the characteristics of peat soils. The method used is The Guidelines for Soil Survey and Mapping, 1:50,000 Scale and Indonesian National Standard (SNI) 8473: 2018. The results showed the largest peat distribution occurred in Central Bangka Regency (13,673 ha) and smaller area in South Bangka Regency (5,030 ha). Peatlands in Central Bangka and South Bangka Regency consist of tidal topogenous peat soils and freshwater topogenous peat soils. The decomposition rate of peat consists of Organosol Saprik and Organosol Hemik, reaction of sapric and hemic peat is acidic to very acidic, cation exchange capacity is high to very high, and base saturation is very low. The average carbon stocks in peat lands in South Bangka and Central Bangka Regencies are 582.79 t ha−1 and 428.60 t ha−1, respectively. The results can be utilized by all users, especially in the framework of sustainable agricultural development.

Preface

The ICSTLM 2020, International Conference on Sustainable Tropical Land Management, is the first international conference on tropical land organized by the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Land Resources Research and Development (ICALRRD) on behalf of the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD). This first conference was held virtually due to COVID-19 pandemic on September 16-18, 2020, Jakarta time, put the theme of “Adapting land management to climate change and combating land degradation to increase resilience of agricultural systems” and invited well-known international experts as speakers in plenary. Moreover, Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Syahrul Yasin Limpo, was show his great attention to this event and pleased to give opening remarks. ICSTLM 2020 can be enjoyed at: https://seminarbbsdlp.id/icstlm/index.php/en/.The conference drew widely concern where around 500 participants per day, coming from 35 research institutions, universities, and government offices based in over 15 countries, were attended in both a plenary and 5 parallel sessions regarding sub-themes: 1) land use, land suitability, and risk mappings – the relationship with agricultural sustainability (LULS), 2) soil, water, and crop management and the socio-economic dimensions (SWCM), 3) adaptation and mitigation to climate change (CC), 4) soil quality assessment: morphological, physical, biological, chemical and geological aspects to support agricultural sustainability (SQA), and 5) digital and precision agriculture (DPA).More than 200 accepted papers, which carefully screened on the basis of their quality and their relevance to the conference theme, were presented orally in those parallel sessions during three consecutive days using Zoom Breakout Room platform. Presenters, participants, and facilitator were interacted online in each parallel class, while presentation files and Q/A session were managed carefully by Committee. High quality of internet connection, professional members of ICSTLM Committee, and the very cooperative presenters and attendees were the keys of the success of ICSTLM 2020.All accepted papers were then peer-reviewed by scientific editorial board and reviewers who fit with their expertise. All reviewers have doctoral degree and experience on publishing scientific papers in reputable international journal. Furthermore, ICSTLM Committee took full attention to the plagiarism issue, writing format, and proper layout to guarantee the papers’ quality.I am gratefully thanked to the editorial board member and the reviewers for pouring their valuable time and advice to meet the quality of papers. Thank also to authors for presenting their work at conference, considering the reviewers’ suggestion for improving their papers’ quality, and for publishing in this volume. My sincere appreciation to Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, all ICSTLM Committee, facilitators, co-organizer, and all other participants for their support in ICSTLM 2020.December 2020 Dr. Husnain Director of ICALRRD List of Editorial Board, Reviewers are available in this pdf.

Effect of climate and socioeconomic changes on future surface water availability from mountainous water sources in Pakistan's Upper Indus Basin

Pakistan is highly dependent on water resources from the mountainous regions of the Upper Indus Basin (UIB), especially for irrigation. An evaluation framework was developed and applied in this study to understand the variability in surface water availability to agricultural and domestic sectors across various future climate and socioeconomic pathways in five catchments within the UIB (Astore, Gilgit, Hunza, Shigar, and Shyoke). A planning tool named Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) was used to understand the dynamics of past and future water demands for multiple future scenarios. We combined three different climate scenarios (representative concentration pathways) with socioeconomic scenarios (shared socioeconomic pathways) of economic development and population and local agricultural land development pathways. The results indicate that the external driving forces of climate change and socioeconomic growth will cause a discrepancy between the supply and demand of water resources in regions with higher socioeconomic growth, particularly those with agricultural development as the dominant external factor. Among the five catchments within the UIB, Astore and Gilgit face a water shortfall in all future scenarios, whereas Shyoke will encounter water deficiencies only in the case of agricultural land development. We also demonstrated that the impact of climate change is markedly different in Astore and Gilgit. Over Astore, the impact of precipitation will control the unmet water demands by increasing winter streamflow whereas over Gilgit non-climatic factors, such as population and agricultural growth, will control future unmet water demands.

СІЛЬСЬКОГОСПОДАРСЬКА ОСВОЄНІСТЬ ЗЕМЕЛЬ ВОЛИНСЬКОЇ ОБЛАСТ

The aim is to determine the degree of agricultural development of the lands of Volyn region. Method. The agricultural development of the lands of the Volyn region by administrative-territorial districts is determined. General scientific and static methods, methods of system and structural analysis, comparative geographical and graphic methods are applied. Regional statistics were processed. The formulas for determining the agricultural development of lands, coefficients of plowed lands and plowed agricultural lands are given. Results. Agricultural development of the territory is defined as the ratio of the area of agricultural land to the total land area, excluding areas under water and swamps. As a result of calculations we determined that the highest indicator of agricultural land development of Volyn region is 78-80%, and is the highest for Rozhysche, Lutsk and Gorokhiv districts of the region, the degree of agricultural land development is the lowest for Kamin-Kashirsky, Lyubeshiv, Manevychi and Shanevytsia. The average value of the coefficient of agricultural development for the territory of Volyn region is 56.6%. or the entire territory of Volyn region, the coefficient of plowing of the land territory is 38.13%. The highest percentage of plowed lands of the region is typical for the southern forest-steppe regions of the region. Based on the analysis of the plowing coefficient, the territory of Volyn region is assessed as «conditionally favorable». Plowing of agricultural lands in modern conditions characterizes the intensity of agricultural production and ecological tension of the territory. The highest coefficient of plowing of agricultural lands is typical for the territories of Gorokhiv district (88.34%), Lutsk (86.48%), Lokachyn (85.34) and Ivanychiv (82.7) districts, the lowest coefficient of plowing of agricultural lands is observed in the territories of Lyubeshivsky Ratnivsky and Lyubomlsky administrative-territorial districts of Volyn region. The average plowed agricultural land for the territory of Volyn region is 64.72%. Thus, for forest-steppe areas this indicator is higher. Thus, for forest-steppe areas this indicator is higher. Scientific novelty. The typology of administrative-territorial districts of Volyn region according to the degree of agricultural development and the coefficient of plowing of lands (including agricultural lands) is carried out. Practical significance. The results of the studies reveal the condition of lands in the Volyn region. Can be used to determine the potential productivity of land resources in the region. Determining the level of transformation and rational efficiency of their use.

Zambian farm blocks: A vehicle for increased private sector investments

AbstractThe Zambian government has introduced the farm block development programme (FBDP) to facilitate agricultural land and rural development and encourage private sector investment. This study assessed whether the FBDP achieves these goals. Key obstacles and possible opportunities were also identified and, where appropriate, specific corrective actions were recommended. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in Lusaka with various stakeholders of the FBDP. The FBDP is designed to facilitate agricultural land development and encourage private sector investment. However, the programme falls far short in terms of implementation, amidst policy uncertainty and lack of support. This is evident by the insecurity of land tenure which negatively affects small- and medium-scale producers’ access to financing, lack of infrastructure development of these farm blocks, and constraints in the agricultural sector such as low labour productivity and poor access to service expertise. It is recommended that innovative policy interventions should be created to support agricultural development. This can be achieved by following a multistakeholder approach through involving private, public and non-profit sectors such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and donors.

FAO experiences with land market development and land management instruments in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Most countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have farm structures characterized by excessive land fragmentation and small average farm sizes. Well-functioning agricultural land markets are a precondition for agricultural and rural development in general. However, agricultural land markets remain weak and still face many constraints in the region. Land management instruments such as land consolidation and land banking in addition to facilitating agricultural development also contribute to land market development. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is providing technical assistance to the member countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia related to development of agricultural land markets and introduction of land management instruments such as land consolidation and land banking.

Analysis of Landslide Vulnerability in Agribusiness Development Efforts Environmental Insight in Ngargoyoso District

<p><em>The area of Ngargoyoso Subdistrict, Karanganyar Regency, has geosphere conditions that have the potential to be developed for agribusiness crops, but are prone to landslides. In it’s development, it is necessary to integrate considerations of productivity and land sustainability by considering the carrying capacity of the land through the identification of landslide vulnerabilities. The objectives of this research are: (1) To determine the vulnerability of landslides in the Ngargoyoso District, (2) To determine the direction of land conservation for sustainable agricultural land development in Ngargoyoso District. The unit of analysis is in the form of land unit which is the result of overlapping between rock, soil, slope and land use units. The method of determining landslide vulnerability uses the scoring method of landslide determining parameters. The results of the research were (1) high landslide susceptibility area of 4,797.25 hectares (78.13%), moderate landslide susceptibility area of 1,343.26 hectares (21.87%), and (2) conservation directions in the form of zoning for seasonal agricultural land and manufacturing. terracing by paying attention to the slope and depth of the solum.<strong></strong></em></p>

Scientific and practical aspects of land use optimization in the agrosphere

The article presents modern literature data on the need to improve the development of agricultural lands, taking into account the current state of agriculture. Paying attention to this issue requires special attention, as it has acquired not only theoretical but also practical significance. Intensification of negative tendencies of anthropogenic influence on edaphotope lead to a number of ecological crises of global character. We analyzed the state of land use of Lviv region and reflected the main problems of land use optimization. The dynamics of changes that took place in the structure of the land fund by types of lands is shown. An extremely important component of sustainable development of society is the quality of life provided by the continuous development of environmental innovations. The destruction of the structure of the edaphotope of the region causes the emergence and development of environmental crises and catastrophes. Preservation of high potential and quality functioning of edaphos requires changes to the constant effective maintenance of balance, which should be based on the principles of sustainable harmonious development and rationalization of land resources. In terms of regions of aridity coefficients according to research, it can be argued that natural and climatic conditions have a direct impact on the efficiency of agricultural production. Such results require a review of technologies, their modernization and the development of recommendations for their adaptation. Resource-saving land use of new territorial entities in the post-reform period includes two factors – economic and environmental. For proper organization and optimization of land holdings, it is advisable to create agro-landscapes with a clearly planned structure, which should take into account the ratio of functional-territorial orientation, economic assessment and environmental safety. This means that the main and main goal of harmonious targeted use should take into account a number of indicators of the land use system, which requires special attention to agroecosystems in the interdependent close development of environmental and economic aspects. No less important is the environmental factor of land use, as further ignoring it can create economic collapse. In this regard, the most important requirement of the time is the development, improvement and widespread implementation of resource- and energy-saving, environmentally friendly farming systems. Ecological tolerance of certain territories of land resources should be laid down in the process of designing land management developments, paying special attention to the properties of landscape ecosystems, taking into account adjacent land plots. In particular, in order to preserve the balance of agricultural landscapes, it is necessary to implement a set of preventive measures.

SELECTION OF SUSTAINABLE DOMESTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY CASE STUDY: TANJUNG MEKAR VILLAGE, KARAWANG

The Citarum River is one of the rivers that is a source of clean water and is consumed by residents in the watershed and in DKI Jakarta. Currently, the Citarum River is facing serious environmental problems because it is a reservoir for waste from various sources such as factory, hotel and hospital waste as well as domestic waste, silting, problems with embankments and final treatment sites that are harmful to health. The results of monitoring the water quality of the Citarum River show that the water of the Citarum River has not been able to meet the water quality standards that have been determined based on the SK. West Java Governor No. 39 of 2000. The decline in water quality is caused by an increase in the pollutant load originating from the population, industrial development, extensification and intensification of agricultural land, fisheries development, livestock pollution and mining and excavation exploration. The focus of this research is emphasized on the river pollutant waste management program from domestic waste originating from community activities in Tanjung Mekar Village. The purpose of this study was to analyze waste management systems and domestic wastewater that are easily applied by the community, especially along rivers, in supporting community-based environmental management.

Assessing Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) Habitat and Connectivity for Conservation and Restoration

The federally-threatened Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) occurs in riparian zones located along the foothills and plains in the Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming. Anthropogenic and natural disturbances have extensively modified Front Range riparian ecosystems affecting the location, quality, and connectivity of Z. h. preblei populations and habitat. Previous studies suggest that specific microhabitat conditions influence Z. h. preblei occurrence but no landscape-scale assessments have been conducted. To support conservation and management, we assessed Z. h. preblei habitat in Boulder County, Colorado by mapping riparian land cover composition, creating species distribution models (SDM), and evaluating connectivity between suitable habitat and known Z. h. preblei populations. The SDM identified 5381 ha of suitable Z. h. preblei habitat, compared with 252 ha of known Z. h. preblei occupied habitat. We found limited connections between Z. h. preblei populations in different watersheds, as urban development and large expanses of agricultural land disrupt connectivity. Our modeling approach yielded outcomes that are broadly relevant to understanding the distribution and management of geographically restricted species impacted by habitat loss and has provided insight into Z. h. preblei habitat and connectivity that cannot be gathered from field work alone.

Spatial-Temporal Differentiation Analysis of Agricultural Land Use Intensity and Its Driving Factors at the County Scale: A Case Study in Hubei Province, China.

Scientifically characterizing the spatial-temporal distribution characteristics of agricultural land use intensity and analyzing its driving factors are of great significance to the formulation of relevant agricultural land use intensity management policies, the realization of food safety and health, and the achievement of sustainable development goals. Taking Hubei Province as an example, and taking counties as the basic evaluation unit, this paper establishes an agricultural land use intensity evaluation system, explores the spatial autocorrelation of agricultural land use intensity in each county and analyzes the driving factors of agricultural land use intensity. The results show that the agricultural land use intensity in Hubei Province increased as a whole from 2000 to 2016, and the spatial agglomeration about the agricultural land use intensity in Hubei Province experienced a process of continuous growth and a fluctuating decline; the maximum of the Global Moran’s I was 0.430174 (in 2007) and the minimum was 0.148651 (in 2001). In terms of Local Moran’s I, H-H agglomeration units were mainly concentrated in two regions: One comprising the cities of Huanggang, Huangshi and Ezhou, and the other the cities of Xiangyang and Suizhou; the phenomenon is particularly obvious after 2005. On the other hand, factors such as the multiple cropping index (MCI) that reflect farmers’ willingness to engage in agricultural production have a great impact on agricultural land use intensity, the influence of the structure of the industry on agricultural land use intensity varies with the degree of influence of different industries on farmers’ income, and agricultural fiscal expenditure (AFE) has not effectively promoted the intensification of agricultural land use. The present research has important significance for enhancing insights into the sustainable improvement of agricultural land use intensity and for realizing risk control of agricultural land use and development.

Kajian Pengembangan Lahan Pertanian Tanaman Pangan Berbasis Komoditas Unggulan di Kabupaten Pinrang, Sulawesi Selatan

Agriculture sector performs prominent role in the economy of Pinrang Regency. As the national food-estate area of South Sulawesi Province, RGDP agriculture sector of the regency increased from 4.72 to 7.94 trillion IDR in 2013-2017. This study aims to analyze food-crop agriculture land development based on primary commodities in Pinrang Regency, South Sulawesi. This study was conducted in twelve sub-districts in the regency’s area from September 2018 to June 2019. Application of geospatial technology was expected to present new approach with more accurate and easily updated land development planning in the area. The research data consisted of primary field survey data and secondary data of spatial pattern map of RTRW 2012-2032 from Bappeda and food-crop harvested area and production from BPS Pinrang Regency, characteristics and existing land use map from BBPPSDLP, and forest and water conservation area map from KLHK. Primary commodities was detemined based on Location Quotient and Shift Share Analysis. Potential land arrangement was referred to FAO Land Suitability Evaluation. Land development plan was formulated using selection and screening procedure based on Boolean logic. Five primary commodities was determined with 5,871 Ha potential land suitable for their development out of 7,324 Ha available land that consisted of land uses planned for paddy (3,529 Ha), cassava (1,398 Ha), corn (657 Ha), soybean (187 Ha), and sweet potato (100 Ha). The land development plan for these commodities was categorized into the first (147 Ha) and second (5,724 Ha) priority.

Trends in Agricultural Land in EU Countries of the Baltic Sea Region from the Perspective of Resilience and Food Security

Agricultural land is crucial for the production of food and is, thereby, directly connected to food security. Agriculture is threatened by a multitude of hazards, such as climate change, peak oil, peak soil and peak phosphorus. These hazards call for a more resilient food system that can deliver food security for the global population in the future. In this paper, we analyse the Baltic Sea region’s ten European Union (EU) member states, investigating which trends are to be found in statistics between 2005 to 2016 on the development of agricultural land. In our paper, we analyse these trends of agricultural land by looking at three categories of data: (1) utilised agricultural area, (2) number of farms and (3) agricultural labour input. The results showed a trend that agricultural land is increasingly dominated by large farms, whilst over 1 million predominantly small farms have disappeared, and agricultural-labour input has dropped by more than 26%. These trends point towards a mechanisation of production, where larger and less labour-intensive farms take over production. This could partly be due to the EU common agricultural policy, which tends to favour large farms over small. Further, we argue for the importance of farm-size diversity, and about the dangers to food security that a system that is dominated by large farms possesses. Lastly, we conclude that the concept of resilience needs to be better included in policy development and food-system planning, and that more research needs to be done, analysing how existing agricultural policies impact the parameters studied in this paper.

Application of Remote Sensing and Geo Statistical Analysis for Soil Salinity Monitoring in Tina Plain Area of Egypt

In Egypt require to improve agricultural production to save food demand with increase population. Soil salinity is a significant attractive problem for agriculture in irrigated areas. As a result, monitoring of soil salinity is required for salinization control. One of the greatest challenges faced by Egypt’s decision-makers is the acquisition of reliable integrated soil salinity information to introduce and recommendation of a simple approach to formulating a guideline for stakeholders. Saline affected areas are vast, making it extremely difficult to examine soil quality with field and laboratory data to provide reliable approach to forecast and monitor soil salinity. Objective of this paper is to research remote sensing and ArcGIS tools by Geo-Statistical Analyst techniques to map saline-sodic heavy clay soils of the Tina plain area in Egypt. Tina Plain characterizes a serious area for potential development of agricultural land in Egypt. Satellite images were downloaded by Landsat 8, Sentinel-2A, Sentinel-1, and Synthetic Aperture Radar C-band data were wont to map soil salinity within the area. By coefficient of correlation method were preformed, evaluated and compared of the Three models. The results revealed that the Sentinel-2A optical imaging satellite yielded the very best prediction performance. ArcGIS Geo-Statistical Analyst was also successfully wont to predict and map the saline-sodic heavy clay soils with a mistake percentage of about 4.28%, which is taken into account as a minor error. generally, the study confirms that the Remote Sensing and ArcGIS Geo-Statistical Analyst are often considered by researchers and decision-makers as a credible, cost-effective, and time-controlled techniques to work out and predict the extension of soil salinity.

Characteristics of Soil Parameters of Agricultural Land Use Types, Their Location and Development Forecast

In this paper we point out the basic soil parameters characterizing current arable land, permanent grassland, vineyards, and orchards in Slovakia. While the area of permanent land use types is more or less stable, there is a noticeable decrease in the area of arable land. In Slovakia, arable land is located mainly on the plain. The value of its production potential is 67 points (the highest quality soil has 100 points). Permanent grassland is found at higher altitudes on slopes, with a higher gravel content, and the value of their production potential is 35 points. Vineyards are predominantly located in the warm regions of southern Slovakia on the middle slopes. These soils are generally loamy, without significant gravel content, and the value of their production potential is 59 points. Most orchards are located on the plains. The soils are predominantly loamy and deep, without significant gravel content, and the value of their production potential is 63 points. Characteristics of agricultural land use types were determined using vector databases of soil parameters obtained from Soil Science and Conservation Research Institute information systems and a current vector layer for identification of agriculturally used soils, the Land Parcel Identification System, using geographic information systems. Moreover, our analysis tries to determine what developments can be expected in the use of four agricultural land use types. The modeling assumptions concern the future performance of these variables using exponential smoothing and Box–Jenkins methodology.

Potential for Reclamation of Abandoned Gas Wells to Restore Ecosystem Services in the Fayetteville Shale of Arkansas.

Unconventional oil and gas (UOG) drilling has expanded rapidly across the United States, including in the Fayetteville Shale formation in north-central Arkansas where drilling began in 2004. As one of the oldest regions of UOG activity in the United States, this area has experienced significant land-use changes, specifically development of natural habitat and agricultural land for gas infrastructure. In recent years, drilling of new wells has stopped and production has declined. By 2017, 1038 wells had ceased production and been abandoned, which makes them eligible for land reclamation. However, most of these sites (80%) have not been reclaimed and continue to cause losses in ecosystem services. If reclamation was performed on lands associated with abandoned infrastructure, we estimate more than $2 million USD annually in agricultural, timber, and carbon sequestration values would be gained. These benefits far outweigh the costs of reclamation, especially since the benefits accrue over time and reclamation is a short-term cost. Our estimates indicate a 2-4 year break-even time period when cumulative ecosystem services benefits will outweigh reclamation costs. We predicted a well-abandonment rate of 155 per year until 2050 when 98% of wells will be abandoned, which indicates great potential for future ecosystem services restoration. Thus, we recommend that Arkansans at the government and citizen level work to restore lands impacted by UOG development in the Fayetteville Shale region so that their value to landowners and society can be recovered, which will enhance long-term economic and environmental benefits.