Russian Agriculture Research Articles

Breed as a biotechnological phenomenon

Authors of this article discuss about the problem of developing the theoretical foundations of animal domestication (including the creation of breeds) in modern biological science. Unfortunately, at the moment, the issue under consideration, which is located at the intersection of such scientific disciplines as zoology, biotechnology, veterinary medicine and animal science, in the Russian Federation is insufficiently studied and generalized theoretically. In addition, the analysis of the use and interpretation of the term «breed» is carried out on the example of the current situation in Russian agriculture. The processes of creating and using breed standards are also considered. Our own experience demonstrates that the creation of a reasoned and complex teaching about the breed as a biological and technological phenomenon will significantly improve the quality of veterinary and zootechnical education and fundamental biological science.

РАЗВИТИЕ АГРАРНОЙ НАУКИ И АГРАРНОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ: СОСТОЯНИЕ, ПРОГНОЗЫ

In the federal law No. 264-FZ of December 29, 2006 "On the development of agriculture" [1], the development of science and innovation in the field of the agro-industrial complex is defined among the main directions of the state agricultural policy (Article 5, paragraph 5).
 In the same federal law (Article 5, Clause 7), the main direction of the state agrarian policy is “improving the system of education, training and retraining of specialists for agriculture”.
 Scientific and technological support of agriculture is a vital necessity for the development of the industry in modern conditions, because the technologies and programs for the functioning of domestic agriculture that have been in force until now have exhausted the possibilities of conducting agricultural activities without introducing scientific advances in agricultural production in the field of crop production, animal husbandry, poultry farming and other areas of agricultural economy.
 Seed growing of potatoes and vegetables, both open and protected, remains a problem. And for some crops, imported seeds are used in production, which is a threat to food security and food independence of the Russian state.
 Practically, the same situation is in livestock and poultry farming, where breeding animals and breeding eggs purchased in foreign countries are used. Imported antibiotics and other veterinary drugs, as well as herbicides and pesticides and other agrochemicals used in Russian agriculture remain at risk.
 Despite the government decisions made, domestic agricultural producers, due to the lack of the necessary agricultural machinery and equipment in the Russian Federation, continue to purchase technical means and spare parts for them abroad, which causes risky situations, aggravated by financial instability in the world due to pandemic of the new coronavirus infection "Covid-19", economic sanctions and other negative factors.
 The above circumstances objectively call for the accelerated development of domestic agricultural science. This task should be carried out by students and postgraduates of agricultural universities using scientific laboratories within the walls of the university, graduates of agricultural universities and academies working in scientific institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences and other research organizations, as well as specialists working in agricultural organizations. In order to successfully solve the problems of scientific and technological development of agricultural production, researchers must receive the necessary knowledge and qualifications, and, most importantly, skills for research activities in the process of studying at an agricultural university.

Assessment of the viability of cultures of lactic acid microorganisms during their freezing and low-temperature storage

Relevance. A significant increase in microbiome-associated diseases, closely related to violations of the bacterial diversity and functions of the normal intestinal microbiota, dictates the need to develop and implement measures for the long-term preservation of individual representatives of the normal microbiota in order to create new strategies for modifying the composition of microbiomes.Methods. The influence of the technology of deep freezing and storage of intestinal isolates of lactic acid bacteria of 2 taxonomic groups isolated from poultry in the conditions of the Low-temperature automated storage of biological samples of the Departmental Collection of useful microorganisms for Agricultural purposes of the Russian Agricultural Academy (VKSM) on the MRS culture medium using 10 and 20% glycerin or 10 and 20% sucrose as cryopreservants was studied. The suspensions of the isolates were frozen at - 150 °C for 18 hours and then placed in an automated cryopreservation at -80 °C. Control of samples for safetyResults. The technology of cryofreezing of lactic acid bacteria on MRS-broth using 10 and 20% glycerin or 10 and 20% sucrose as cryopreservants allows preserving the viability, physiological and biochemical properties of intestinal isolates of lactic acid bacteria when stored for 18 months. All the protective media used (MRS-broth with glycerin 10 and 20%, MRS -broth with sucrose 10 and 20%) showed comparable results in the preservation of viability and acid-forming activity of Lactobacillus fermentum-2, Pediococcus pentosaceus 6p-3, Pediococcus pentosaceus 28p-1 isolates. Then the storage of Pediococcus pentosaceus isolate (28p-1) in a given parameter on a protective medium with 10 and 20% sucrose led to a decrease in the activity of acid formation.

ГОСУДАРСТВЕННАЯ ПОДДЕРЖКА СЕЛЬСКОГО ХОЗЯЙСТВА КАК ЧАСТЬ ДОКТРИНЫ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОЙ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

The article examines the impact of state support on the development of the agricultural sector in the Russian Federation. Agriculture is an integral part of the doctrine of national security which is now, when international relations are very aggravated, is more and more important. Any state should be able to feed itself. The end of the twentieth century had a bad effect on the state of agriculture in Russia, its productivity dropped dramatically. Starting in 2006, the government began to implement systematic state support for the agricultural sector, and now we have received quite a decent result: the place of the Russian Federation in the world food security rating has risen from 46 to 24 places.

Agrarian reforms of Russia at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries in the coverage of economists of the XX century

The article analyses the features of the development of agriculture in Russia at the end of the 19th century - the beginning of the 20th century. The paper studies and considers attempts to solve the agrarian issue in the specified period. The study considers the course and results of the reform of 1861, as well as economic reforms of the beginning of the 20th century. The author gives an assessment of these reforms, as well as the situation of the peasantry made by the leading economists of that time: N.D. Kondrat'ev, S.L. Maslov, A.V. Peshekhonov, A.V. Chayanov, and also analyses the measures aimed at alleviating the situation of the peasantry and solving the agrarian problems of that period. The research paper also presents a comparative analysis of the consequences of the 1861 reform, its impact on the solution of the agrarian issue in different parts of the Russian Empire, in particular in Poland after the Polish Uprising of 1863.

Analysis of the development of agriculture in Russia during the pandemic

The article is devoted to the study of the results of agricultural production in the context of economic and social constraints during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main objective of the study is to determine the factors that form the stability of the agricultural sector during crisis periods in the country’s economy in order to stimulate their development and strengthen, as well as to identify the negative features of agricultural sectors that reduce the growth rate of production volumes and the development of this type of activity. Based on the analysis of time series, the features of the influence of crisis situations in the economy as a whole on the production of agricultural products are revealed, the rates of change in the indicators of the conditions and results of the production of crop and livestock products are determined. The use of the grouping method made it possible to establish differences in the reaction of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation to the pandemic crisis, to determine the location of production in a large territory with different climatic conditions as one of the favorable factors for the formation of the stability of the agricultural sector. The dependence of agricultural sectors on imported resources (seed and planting material, herbicides, chemicals, etc.), as well as the low level of use of digital technologies in the production and sale of products, were noted as unfavorable factors that hinder the development of the industry.

Assessment of Structural Transformations Factors in the Agro-food Complex of Russia

The article analyzes the factors that influence structural changes in the value chains of the national agro-food system. The analysis of the dynamic and structural functioning characteristics of the agro-food complex of Russia made it possible to assess the impact of the identified factors on the status of food security, the competitiveness of national producers, and the effectiveness of the state regulatory system. The positive dynamics of agricultural and food production have stabilized the situation on the national food market and increased the level of self-sufficiency in basic food products.The material and financial balance of the agro-food complex is justified as an important factor of its sustainable development in changing economic conditions. The authors have analyzed the causes of the mismatch of material and financial proportions in the agro-food complex of Russia and revealed a significant impact of the growth of world prices for agricultural raw materials and food products in 2020 on the formation of the material and financial balance proportions of intersectoral food chains. The uneven dynamics of prices in the agricultural sector, processing industries, and industries that produce means of production for the agro-food complex contributed to the violation of the parity of intersectoral relations in the food chains of the Russian agro-food complex.The assessment of the level of protection of national producers based on the indicators used by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) and FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) allowed revealing a steady trend of declining support for agriculture in Russia, while the level of support for the agricultural sector in the USA and the European Union is constantly growing. This has an impact on the competitiveness of national producers, as well as trends in the modernization of the agro-food complex structure.The identified factors allow substantiating the short-term and long-term strategic priorities for the development of the Russian agro-food complex, ways to implement them taking into account national development goals, as well as opportunities for the full use of their competitive potential.

ЦИФРОВЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ В АГРОПРОМЫШЛЕННОМ КОМПЛЕКСЕ

The article discusses the conditions for the introduction of digital technologies in modern agriculture in Russia. The features of the Russian agro-industrial complex that have the greatest impact on the efficiency of digitalization of agriculture are analyzed. The aim of the study is to identify the impact of digital technologies on agriculture. The article is based on the scientific works of Russian and foreign scientists and agencies. The paper also uses a set of scientific approaches and methods that are based on theoretical and methodological research of the latest digital technologies and the possibility of their integration into the agricultural sector. The growth of both the capacity and the need for data collection, management and analysis can lead to a fundamental change in the organization of the food system. Digital including some end-to-end technologies, are making significant changes in the agricultural sector, from the automation of agricultural machinery to the optimization of the agri-food supply chain and the cost of resources, including human labor. The article analyzes the external and internal drivers of digitalization of agriculture. Brief characteristics of the latest technologies are given, and a study of their potential and possible application in agriculture is conducted. Various ways of digitalization are analyzed, from the application of low-tech solutions using the simplest technologies for obtaining management recommendations to high-tech smart farming which include a variety of sensors, the Internet of Things, big data analytics, robotics and artificial intelligence for process automation. The article examines the opportunities and problems that these innovations cause, the current state of the introduction of digital technologies in Russia, and analyzes the experience of various countries in the use of these technologies in agriculture.

Пищевые и кормовые белковые препараты из гороха и нута: производство, свойства, применение

Introduction. New legume-based protein preparations are an excellent alternative to polymers of animal origin and can eliminate the protein deficiency in the diet of humans and animals. In this respect, the raw material base of common leguminous crops has to be thoroughly analyzed in order to develop new technological schemes for novel protein formulations. Study objects and methods. The present research compared modern trends in the production, properties, and safety of food and feed protein preparations based on peas and chickpeas. It involved such standard methods as data systematization and analysis of literary sources. Results and discussion. The leguminous agriculture in Russia is stable enough to produce food and feed protein preparations from peas and chickpeas with the maximum preservation of biological value, composition, and properties. Peas and chickpeas have a high biological value and are rich in polypeptides, fiber, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, etc., which are lost during processing. By-products of protein production can be processed using biosynthetic transformation with various types of fungal and/or bacterial enzymes, as well as physical and/or physicochemical methods, to obtain feed or food products with an appropriate yield. A synthesis with enzymes or microorganisms can result in functional foods and feeds fortified with minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, and antioxidants.

Development of cultivator model for processing seed potatoes with planting option in two-row seedbed

One of the main problems of the Russian agriculture is the production of the agricultural products required quantities. In connection with the norms of impact on agricultural landscapes exceeding due to their long and intensive agricultural use, it led to the energy and mass exchange disruption between its components, the progressive development of degradation phenomena, the decrease in soil fertility and productivity of agrocoenoses due to the abiotic and biotic stressors influence. The question of the seed potatoes cultivation technique by the tubers two-row placement in the seedbed is considered. The intensification of potato cultivation technology based on the use of modern science-intensive technical means is one of the main factors in obtaining this strategic agricultural crop highly stable and high-quality crops. The cultivator was designed for processing seed potatoes in order to increase energy efficiency in the production of potatoes for seeds when planting potatoes in two rows.

Agroholdings, Technology, and the Political Economy of Russian Agriculture

This article details the rise of Russian agricultural corporations, known as the agroholdings. These companies have accumulated control of Russia’s most fertile land over the last 20 years and have become the main producers of agricultural commodities and processed food. They are also the driving force of a profound technological transformation of agriculture and food production during this time. A core claim of this article is that the technopolitics of twenty-first-century Russian agriculture made the meteoric rise of agroholdings possible. Technology was central to both the economic and political roles of these large, vertically integrated agricultural conglomerates. Agroholdings grew rapidly because they adopted cutting-edge agricultural technologies that maximized yields and economic efficiency. Agroholdings’ control of technologies earned them, in turn, the political support they needed to thrive in the state capitalist system of the Putin era. They were privileged allies of President Vladimir Putin’s government, which sought to enlist them for the political goals of strengthening domestic farming and food production and reducing Russia’s dependence on food imports. More broadly, the article suggests that a technopolitical lens recasts and improves our understanding of the political economy of post-Soviet Russia. Technopolitics reveals the role of both the state and corporate actors, of power and capital, in the construction of a new economic order and draws attention to how these processes shape post-Soviet byt. Article in English DOI: 10.25285/2078-1938-2021-13-1-57-80

Current problems of healthy working conditions and prevention of health disorders of agricultural mechanizers during the operation of self-propelled grain harvesters

The prevention of work-related health disorders is a priority in hygiene and preventive medicine. However, little attention has yet been paid to occupational health issues for agricultural workers. The purpose of this research was to assess the current state and develop measures to improve working conditions during the operation of self-propelled combine harvesters, the most widely represented in the existing machine and tractor fleet of agriculture in Russia. Measurements and hygienic assessment of the parameters of the factors of the production environment and the labor process in real production conditions have been carried out. The research results showed that the working conditions on self-propelled combine harvesters are characterized by a complex effect on workers of unfavorable factors (dustiness of the air in the working area, microclimatic discomfort, noise, general and local vibration, physical and sensory-emotional overload), the levels of which to varying degrees exceed hygienic standards. (classes 3.1–3.4). It has been established that the main reason for the formation of harmful working conditions is the operation of morally and physically worn out equipment. It is shown that the impact of an unfavorable production environment can serve as a risk factor for the emergence and development of general and occupational pathology among agricultural machine operators. A set of measures has been developed to ensure safe working conditions and reduce the risk of health disorders for machine operators, including normalizing the microclimate, reducing noise, vibration, dustiness in the air in the working area, optimizing the working posture, and introducing rational modes of work and rest. However, the basic measure that minimizes the adverse impact of professionally determined production factors on the health of agricultural machine operators is the complete replacement of the outdated machine and tractor fleet with agricultural machinery of new generations and compliance with the terms of its operation.

«Farming journal» and its role in the development of agriculture of Russia in 1821-1840 (to the 200-th anniversary of the journal)

This year « The Farming Journal» [Zemledelchesky zhurnal] celebrates the 200 th anniversary from the date of the first issue. This is the first All-Russian specialized agricultural journal, which was established by the Imperial Moscow Agricultural Society. On the basis of the method of biometric analysis of the content the article shows the significance of the journal in the history of agriculture and agricultural press in Russia. It had been estimated that over 1200 articles have been published in the journal. There was determined the typology of articles of the journal, the ratio of the number of publications of which 38 % were sharing experiences materials, surveys (22 %), economic statistical materials (10 %), original articles (8 %), translated articles (5 %), reviews of new agricultural books (17 %). The main publication subjects were general problems of agriculture (30%), plant production (25 %), animal husbandry (27 %), farming (10 %), and horticulture (8 %). The journal actively propagaded new farming systems, promoted developing such agricultural industries as beet sugar production, sheep breeding, bee keeping, and sericulture. Of 375 authors who published their articles in the journal, 73 % were landowners, 19 % professor and teaching staff, 11 % estate managers, 6 % agricultural specialists. Among well-known authors of the journal it is worth to name N. P. Shishkov, I. V. Saburov, A. F. Rebrov, A. S. Maslov, P. I. Prokopovich and others. «The Farming Journal» laid down the basic principles for developing agricultural periodicals. For the first time in history an attempt was made to unite progressive scientists and landowners by means of the journal in order to determine the ways of developing the agrarian sector of the country, to distribute agricultural knowledge among the population, to generate agricultural science and education. The «Farming Journal» is a valuable source for studying the agrarian history of Russia of the beginning of the XIX century.

ОЦЕНКА ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЙ ПОДДЕРЖКИ РОССИЙСКИХ СЕЛЬХОЗТОВАРОПРОИЗВОДИТЕЛЕЙ

The methodological support for improving the efficiency of the use of budget funds in the framework of state support to domestic agricultural producers is considered. It is proposed to expand the system of criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of the use of state support funds both at the regional level and at the level of individual entrepreneurs. The calculations of indicators on the example of the Orenburg region are given. The approach to the distribution of subsidies between regions, linking the amount of state support to the fulfillment of certain conditions and obligations by agricultural producers, is aimed at increasing attention to ensuring favorable conditions for the development of agriculture in Russia at the state level and to justify the amounts of budget expenditures for the implementation of programs.

Distinctions and terms of soft financing to Russia's agricultural enterprises

Subject. Under the current circumstances, the State and commercial banks invent how to support agricultural producers due to the high priority of agriculture for the national security and the high standards of living of people. Soft financing is a mechanism the State uses to support agricultural enterprises, thus stimulating the agricultural production through debt finance. Objectives. I identify distinctions and determine positive and negative aspects of soft financing granted for agricultural producers. Methods. I referred to official data of the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, Russian Agricultural Bank. I applied methods of analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, the systems approach. Results. I analyzed typical traits of soft financing to agricultural enterprises. The article indicates the role of authorized banks as systemically important credit institutions in Russia as part of the soft financing mechanism. I conducted the comparative analysis of commercial lending and soft financing to businesses, pointed out key differences between their mechanisms. The article spotlights the shortage of working funds, which results from distinctions of the agricultural sector. I investigated the impact of the sectoral and intrasectoral specifics of agriculture on the lending process. Referring to the key differences of commercial lending and soft financing to agricultural producers in the Russian Federation, I figured out positive and negative aspects of soft lending. Conclusions and Relevance. Agricultural producers operate, being exposed to high risk. Therefore, commercial banks take risks into account when setting up the cost of loans. High rates on loans are unaffordable for the majority of small and medium-sized agricultural businesses, thus complicating the finance of agricultural producers’ operations. Agricultural enterprises demonstrate a rather low profitability, thus impeding the performance of lending principles, such as repayment, timeliness, serviceability.

Digitalization of economic sectors as a factor in increasing the efficiency of socio-economic development of Russia

The modern state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of information technology is gradually covering the sectors of the economy. Digitalization has become a trend, first of all, in the economic sphere and sectors of the economy. Since 2017, the state program «Digital Economy» has been implemented in Russia. One of the promising areas of the application of information and digital technologies in Russian agriculture and the implementation of the state program is the «Internet of Things». The role of agriculture will undoubtedly increase in the coming decades. The growing population of the planet will lead to the problem of an increase in the demand for food. It will be possible to solve it by enhancing the productivity of agricultural production.

Statistical analysis of trends in agriculture of Russia during the implementation of state programs

The purpose of implementation of State programs in the agricultural sector of Russia, starting with the Priority national project for the development of the agro-industrial complex in 2006, is to create conditions for the transition of the processes of production and distribution of agricultural products to a qualitatively new level. Modern agriculture should be high-tech in order to meet the needs of the population for high-quality products and increase export potential while maintaining and expanding the resource base of industries, reducing dependence on imports of its elements. Based on the methods of grouping and analytical alignment of time series, studying the structure of the use of gross output and intermediate consumption of agriculture, this study identifies trends in the growth of agricultural production in the period from 2005 to 2019, the features of the contribution of regions to their formation, an increase in the level of marketability of products in accordance with the requirements of the market economy, the growth of exports of milk, meat and grain. At the same time, the preservation of the dependence of production on the import of seed, planting material, pedigree livestock, poultry, elements of information production technologies was noted, and it violates the principles of food security of the country as the main task of agricultural development.

Influence of trends in the development of the Russian agro-industrial complex on the introduction of integrated reporting of agricultural enterprises

In this article, the main program documents for the development of the Russian agro-industrial complex are considered, the dynamics of the cost of agricultural gross output is revealed, the factor analysis of milk production in the Russian Federation is carried out, the factors of increasing milk production are determined, the risks in the field of food security are considered, the trends of changes in the engineering infrastructure in rural areas are revealed, the decrease in the import of basic food and the excess of the threshold values of indicators of food independence (selfsufficiency) are revealed.) Of the Russian Federation in 2019 for basic food products. Based on the analysis of the state of agriculture in Russia, the trends that led to the need for the introduction of integrated reporting for agricultural enterprises are highlighted.

Basic economic principles of the digital transformation in Russian agriculture

The article presents a monographic analysis of global developments in the digital agriculture. The structural-functional model of the system formation of digital agriculture was proposed. The links between its elements and the external environment was established. The system of organizational and economic principles was developed in transition of commodity producers to digital agriculture, ensuring the maximum efficiency of its functioning and establishing the full mastering of technologies of precision agriculture as an obligatory stage. We developed a private methodology for assessing the economic efficiency and riskiness of investments in the development of innovations in the digitalization of regional crop production.

Сельское хозяйство России: глобальные позиции, структурные пропорции и тенденции развития

Russians still see national agriculture as a rearguard branch of the economy associated with stagnation and inefficiency. However, the agriculture has undergone significant positive changes over the past decade as a result of large-scale state support programs, import substitution policy, food embargo, depreciation of the ruble, etc. Russian agriculture requires a comprehensive assessment of its current state and position in the global agricultural market. Based on statistical and comparative analyses, the authors assessed the current state of Russian agriculture, as well as showed its place in the national economy and the country's position on the global agricultural market. The research revealed the vector of these changes in 2000–2018 and the main problems of the agricultural development at the present stage. A SWOT analysis shows that Russia has overcome the crisis in the transition to the market economy; the main economic and financial indicators are getting better, together with the most important production segments. Russian agriculture improves as production volumes keep growing and profitability is increasing. The number of unprofitable enterprises has been reduced by half, and the share of individual farms has fallen.