KULUNDA: Climate Smart Agriculture: South Siberian Agro-steppe as Pioneering Region for Sustainable Land Use

Description

This book focuses on a representative example and one of the world’s largest steppe conversions, and provides a detailed overview of the results of the BMBF-funded research project KULUNDA. As part of the Siberian virgin land policy, the Kulunda steppe was transformed into agricultural land from 1954 to 1965. In the course of the project, a multidisciplinary research team conducted a natural, social-economic and agro-scientific cause-and-effect analysis of (agro-)ecosystem destabilisation, as well as various field trials covering tillage and crop rotation options in their socio-economic context. The ecologically and economically sound findings offer strategies for combining climate smart land utilization, ecosystem restoration and sustainable regional development, and can readily be applied to other virgin land conversion efforts. In addition, the findings on the Eurasian steppes will expand the current conversion literature, which mainly consists of the ‘Dust Bowl’ literature of the North American plains. Given its scope, the book will appeal to scientists, professionals, and students in the environmental, geo- and climate sciences. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxvi Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Background to the Natural Landscape and Consequences of the Ecosystem Conservation (G. Guggenberger)....Pages 3-6 The Kulunda Steppe as Part of the Eurasian Steppe Belt (K. Wesche, A. Korolyuk, N. Lashchinsky, M. M. Silantyeva, C. Rosche, I. Hensen)....Pages 7-18 Climatic Variability of the Kulunda Steppe (N. F. Kharlamova)....Pages 19-32 Vegetation Patterns and Ecological Gradients: From Forest to Dry Steppes (N. Lashchinsky, A. Korolyuk, K. Wesche)....Pages 33-48 Soils of the Central and Western Steppes of the Altai Krai (A. Mizgirev, M. Zierdt, P. Illiger, A. E. Kudryavtsev, A. A. Bondarovich, E. Stephan et al.)....Pages 49-66 800 Years of Agricultural Land-use Change in Asian (Eastern) Russia (A. V. Prishchepov, F. Schierhorn, N. Dronin, E. V. Ponkina, D. Müller)....Pages 67-87 Russian Settlements and the Beginning of Agriculture in Southwestern Siberia Until After World War II (M. Frühauf, M. A. Borisenko)....Pages 89-100 The Virgin Lands Campaign (1954–1963) Until the Breakdown of the Former Soviet Union (FSU): With Special Focus on Western Siberia (M. Frühauf, T. Meinel, G. Schmidt)....Pages 101-118 Earth Observation and Map-Based Land-Use Change Analysis in the Kulunda Steppe Since the 1950s (S. Hese, N. Kurepina, I. Walde, Yu. M. Tsimbalei, T. G. Plutalova)....Pages 119-141 Influence of Agricultural Reclamation on Vegetation Cover and Biodiversity in the Forests and Steppes of Kulunda (M. M. Silantyeva, N. V. Elesova, I. Hensen, T. A. Terekhina, A. Yu Grebennikova, N. V. Ovcharova)....Pages 143-154 Physical Soil Properties and Erosion (G. Schmidt, P. Illiger, A. E. Kudryavtsev, N. Bischoff, A. A. Bondarovich, N. A. Koshanov et al.)....Pages 155-166 Soil Moisture and Evapotranspiration (A. A. Bondarovich, V. Scherbinin, E. V. Ponkina, A. Matsyur, A. Puzanov, E. Stephan et al.)....Pages 167-181 Interactive Effects of Land Use and Climate on Soil Organic Carbon Storage in Western Siberian Steppe Soils (G. Guggenberger, N. Bischoff, O. Shibistova, C. Müller, S. Rolinski, A. Puzanov et al.)....Pages 183-199 Types, Occurrence and Tendencies of Soil Degradation in the Altai Krai and the KULUNDA Research Region (M. Frühauf, G. Schmidt, P. Illiger, T. Meinel)....Pages 201-222 Front Matter ....Pages 223-223 Socioeconomic, Institutional, and Demographic Dynamics Impacting Land Use in Post-socialist South Siberia (I. Theesfeld)....Pages 225-229 Transition of Agriculture in Altai Krai: The Role of Structural Change, Introduction of Modern Soil Cultivation Practices and Agricultural Policy (M. Bavorová, E. V. Ponkina, T. Herzfeld, N. Imamverdiyev, N. Baisakova, S. V. Ganzha et al.)....Pages 231-240 Effect of Legal Form of Agricultural Organizations on Plant Production Efficiency in Russia: The Case of Kulunda Steppe (E. V. Ponkina, M. Bavorová, S. V. Lobova)....Pages 241-258 Institutional Analysis of Land Tenure System in Post-socialist Russia: Actors, Rules and Land Use (O. P. Fadeeva, I. S. Soliev)....Pages 259-273 The Role of Institutional Policy Congruity for Sustainable Land Use in the Kulunda Steppe (I. Theesfeld, L. Jelinek)....Pages 275-287 Spatial Patterns of Actual Demographic and Migration Processes in Kulunda (N. I. Bykov, M. A. Borisenko, S. Lentz, A. Wust)....Pages 289-297 The Socio-Economic Environment of Innovative Agriculture in Altai Krai (A. M. Nikulin, O. Ya. Vinogradskaya, A. A. Kurakin, S. Lentz, A. Wust, A. Trotskovsky et al.)....Pages 299-314 The Role of Social Capital and Knowledge Transfer to Adopt Agricultural Innovations (A. M. Sergienko)....Pages 315-319 Front Matter ....Pages 321-321 Potential and Strategies of Adapted Land Use as a Basis for Ecologically and Social-economically Sustainable Development of the Rural Landscape (T. Meinel)....Pages 323-324 Demands for Modern Cropping Systems (T. Meinel, V. I. Belyaev, K. A. Akshalov, L.-C. Grunwald, L. V. Sokolova)....Pages 325-339 Modernization of Current Agricultural Technologies of Grain Production Under the Conditions of a Steppe Zone of the Altai Region (V. I. Belyaev, L.-C. Grunwald, K. A. Akshalov, T. Meinel, L. V. Sokolova)....Pages 341-354 Autumn Tillage, Soil Moisture Content, and Crop Yields (V. I. Belyaev, T. Meinel, R. Meissner, L.-C. Grunwald, V. V. Volnov, E. Stephan et al.)....Pages 355-366 Perspectives for a Sustainable Production of Row Crops in Systems of Minimised Tillage—A Special Focus on Sunflower Cropping in Western Siberia (L.-C. Grunwald, T. Meinel, N. A. Kozhanov, N. V. Rudev, V. I. Belyaev)....Pages 367-392 Improving Efficiency of Crop Protection Measures. A Technical Contribution for Better Weed Control, Less Pesticide Use and Decreasing Soil Tillage Intensity in Dry Farming Regions Exposed to Wind Erosion (L.-C. Grunwald, V. I. Belyaev, T. Meinel)....Pages 393-406 Effects of the Modern Technologies on the Economic Efficiency of Cropping Systems (K. Hiller, M. Frühauf, T. Meinel, P. Tillack)....Pages 407-417 Possibility of Natural Steppe Cover Restoration and Its Biodiversity Expansion (M. M. Silantyeva, T. A. Terekhina, N. V. Elesova, N. V. Ovcharova, T. V. Kornievskaya)....Pages 419-430 Front Matter ....Pages 431-431 Towards a Sustainable Future? Challenges for Regional Development and Innovation (S. Lentz)....Pages 433-434 Framework for Sustainable Regional Development in the Altai Krai (A. M. Nikulin, S. Lentz, O. Ya. Vinogradskaya, A. A. Kurakin, A. Wust)....Pages 435-446 Implications for Administrative Measures: Economic Institutions and Policy (E. V. Ponkina, A. S. Manicheva, M. Bavorová)....Pages 447-456 Changes in the Educational System and Cross-Sectoral Co-operation (A. M. Sergienko, O. A. Snegireva)....Pages 457-467 Scenarios for Regional Development in the Altai Krai and Long-Term Trends (A. M. Nikulin, O. Ya. Vinogradskaya, A. M. Sergienko, A. A. Kurakin, D. Dirin, S. Lentz et al.)....Pages 469-479 Practices and Constraints of Further Education of Farmers in the Kulunda Steppe (V. N. Chizhov, N. A. Ryzhkova, P. Liebelt)....Pages 481-492 Field Days for Technology Transfer and Knowledge Exchange of Dealers and Farmers (V. I. Belyaev, M. M. Silantyeva, T. Meinel, L.-C. Grunwald, D. V. Belyaev, N. A. Kozhanov et al.)....Pages 493-500 Technology Learning and Transfer of Knowledge—Practices and Lessons Learned from the German-Language Study Programme in Barnaul (M. Zierdt, N. I. Bykov, D. Kley, A. A. Bondarovich, G. Schmidt)....Pages 501-506 Front Matter ....Pages 507-507 Beyond Kulunda (M. Frühauf, S. Lentz, T. Meinel, G. Guggenberger, I. Theesfeld)....Pages 509-522