The state of agricultural lands in the Republic of Tyva (Russia)

Center for Biosphere Research of the Republic of Tyva, Kyzyl, 667003, Russia

^* Corresponding author: sambuu@mail.ru

Abstract

The paper analyzes the impact of the development of the Republic of Tuva on changes in agricultural land and arable land area. It is shown that despite the fact that animal husbandry was the leading branch of agriculture in the Tuvan People's Republic (1921-1944), crop production developed no less dynamically, the acreage in 1944 increased 4.3 times over 17 years. During the period of the Tuvan Autonomous Region (1945-1960), the area of agricultural land and cultivated forage lands increased by an order of magnitude. But the unjustified plowing of virgin and fallow lands in the 50s and 60s of the twentieth century led to erosion and destruction of soils, to the loss of more than a million hectares of agricultural land. During the period of the Tuvan ASSR (1961-1991), further growth of agricultural land and acreage was observed. At the same time, the largest area of grain crops was observed in 1980. Since the beginning of market reforms (1991), there has been a sharp decline in agricultural land and the area of sown crops. Currently, there is a positive trend in the development of the agricultural sector of the republic with a slight increase in agricultural land and acreage, but not reaching the 1980 crop.