Nina Alekseevna Marakhova

Th e damage caused by soil and land degradation was assessed at three hierarchical levels (the region as a whole, the municipality, the agricultural sector) of the spatial organization of six test regions of the Russian Federation (Volgograd, Belgorod, Kaliningrad, Vladimir, Samara and Penza regions). Th e indicators of soil and land degradation for all test objects
were a decrease in the content of exchangeable potassium, a decrease in the content of mobile phosphorus, a decrease
in the content of humus, a change in the acidity index of soils. In addition, for the test objects of the Volgograd region, the indicator of land salinization was used, the Belgorod region — soil erosion, the Kaliningrad region — the indicator of the metabolic coeffi cient (qCO2) of soils. It was found that the minimum and maximum values of the specific total damage fr om degradation can be detected for regions with a similar composition of soil cover (Saratov and Belgorod regions, respectively, wh ere chernozem soils predominate). When the values of specifi c total damage from soil and land degradation are close to each other at various hierarchical levels of spatial organization of regions (Vladimir, Saratov, Belgorod and partly Penza regions), in terms of intensity and scale of manifestation of the studied degradation processes, the agricultural farm is «typical» for the entire municipal district, and the municipal district is «typical» for the entire region.

The article is devoted to the theory and practice of applying the concept of land degradation neutrality (LDN) for
the conditions of the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. Its basic version is considered, based on the analysis
of three sub–indicators, where the assessment of land degradation trends in the study area is based on the analysis of changes in the main indicator — the percentage of degraded land from the total area of the territory, and three
sub-indicators of SDG 15.3.1: changes in land productivity, changes in land cover and dynamics of soil organic carbon reserves. As an adjustment to the basic approach of the LDN, it is proposed to supplement it with regional data on soil characteristics. Th e following soil properties can be recommended as necessary for considering in the
evaluation model — the content of humus and nutrients, as well as pH, these characteristics, on the one hand, are
largely related to soil fertility, and on the other hand, they are most at risk of degradation changes during human
exploitation of soils. Modifi cation of the LDN methodology allows not only to clarify the central (umbrella) indicator,
but also to identify the relationship of the latter with indicators of agricultural production, in particular, gross crop
yields. Analysis of the data using the modifi ed LDN method showed that 64.8% of the region was degraded (which
is almost 2 times higher than the values obtained by the basic LDN method), which leads to a signifi cant loss of crop
yield. Th e article proposes an algorithm for assessing the relationship between land degradation and gross crop yields
based on correlation and regression analysis (spatial models).

The purpose of the study was to assess the current state of food security in some regions of the Russian Federation,
to identify bottlenecks that hinder its achievement, and also to try to determine the relationship between food
security indicators and the degree of land degradation – categories that largely determine the socio-ecological
development of the region. Belgorod, Vladimir, Volgograd, Kaliningrad, Penza, Samara regions were selected as
test regions. At the same time, the choice of the self-suffi ciency indicator for the main types of food products as the
most representative indicator for assessing food security at the municipal level is justified. Th e adapted methodology
for calculating self-suffi ciency for the municipal level consisted in using the calculated indicators of the required
production volumes in accordance with rational consumption standards, which allowed us to obtain an objective assessment of how much municipal formations are able to provide the population living there with the main types of products. The adapted methodology proposed by the authors for calculating indicators of self-suffi ciency in basic types of food at the municipal level is described in detail in earlier publications. Th e results of the analysis of the
data obtained on self-suffi ciency in such types of products as potatoes, vegetables, meat, milk, fruits and berries in the municipal districts of the test regions in dynamics for the period 2010-2021 are presented. In addition, the relationship between the calculated indicators of self-suffi ciency in the main types of food and the degree of land degradation in the municipalities of the test regions was revealed. The results obtained made it possible to identify the main problems associated with ensuring food security and develop proposals to improve the situation.<br>