Within the framework of the Soil-Geographic Database of Russian Federation Information System, several web applications have been developed. These applications are provided free of charge for smallholder farmers and used to obtain information on the normative productivity for agricultural land, land fertility, land applicability for agricultural production, as well as to estimate the optimal doses of application of mineral fertilizers.
Also, smallholder farmers have an opportunity to reassess the cadastral value of land based on the soil information system and thereby reduce the land tax. Individual assessment of the cadastral land value allows to take into account the characteristics of soils that limit the possibilities of agricultural production (local waterlogging, acidification and salinization) and thereby reduce the cadastral value of the land plot.
Annual performance indicators:
- Conducting trainings - up to 10 trainings for 10-15 people
- In-person and remote one-time consultations – up to 50 consultations
- Continuing education program on the use of GIS – 18-hour course at Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov (in person or remotely)
- Organization of internships at Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov on the use of GIS - up to 3 interns per year
- Technical assistance and consultations in the creation and operation of data centers - as needed
Annual costs for the operation of the soil information system:
- Center for the Collective use of Educational and Scientific Equipment – 500 000 USD
- Soil Data Center – 300 000 USD
The soil information system is considered as an expert and analytical center, which acts as a coordinator and supports the functioning of a distributed network, as well as the development and distributing of internationally relevant standards for description, storage, presentation of soil information and data exchange through the use of specialized programs adapted to regional features. In addition, the purpose of the center is the implementation of communication between primary digital resources of natural and soil information localized in various organizations, agrochemical service regional centers, and federal agencies accumulating information necessary for making managerial decisions.
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The place and role of the soil information system in the digital economy and digital agriculture can be determined by considering as a whole a unified information system for the country’s soil resources. It includes blocks located at different administrative levels and organizations. These blocks perform a specific function characteristic of the tasks of the relevant departments and organizations.
Primary digital resources relating to the composition of soil cover, soil properties, and related natural characteristics necessary for the production of agricultural products are located mainly in regional centers of agrochemical service. The validity of collecting, storing, and processing primary information for the needs of regional agricultural practitioners is due to the fact that, at this level, specialists thoroughly know all the features of their objects and how to use them rationally in practice. Regional data centers of agrochemical services, using software, issue recommendations on the rational use of land to specific producers, and they are part of the national distributed information system on soil resources.
The work of the Center for Collective Use is based on the use of information technologies for soil inventory and data processing using Big-Data technology (Big-Data analysis) and is aimed at introducing results into practice, which is in line with the global trend in the development of modern soil science.
Examples of some subsystems - software products that allow online assessment of soil fertility and regulation of crop yields:
- Standard yield of grain crops for agricultural lands of the Moscow region - calculates the standard yield of grain crops for a field/land/cadastral plot using the Digital Medium-Scale Soil Map of the Moscow Region.
- Fertility of agricultural lands in the Moscow region - assesses the level of soil fertility and calculates doses of lime, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers required to adjust the fertility of agricultural lands.
- Doses of mineral fertilizers for the planned yield for agricultural lands in the Rostov region - calculates the need of agricultural crops for mineral fertilizers to solve the problems of adjusting land fertility.
Academic articles:
2023 Experience in Creating an Information System for Rational Use of Soil Resources.
2021 Integrated Approach to Spatial Assessment of Soil Organic Carbon in the Russian Federation
To successfully create and operate a soil information system, specialists of different skill levels are required to perform various tasks:
- Operators for digitizing analog information sources (numeric data, texts) – minimum level
- Operators for digitizing paper maps - minimum level of work with digital maps and geographic information systems
- To work in GIS (analysis, calculations, etc.) – specialists in the use of geographic information systems
- For the initial deployment and configuration of the soil information system (data center) - specialists in the field of database creation
- For the maintenance and development of the soil information system (data center) - specialists in database administration and programming, web programming.
SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
- Target 2.3 - By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment
- Indicator 2.3.2 - Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status
- Target 2.4 - By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality
- Indicator 2.4.1 - Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture
SDG 12 - Sustainable consumption and production
- Target 12.2 - By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
- Indicator 12.2.1 - Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
- Indicator 12.2.2 - Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
SDG 2 – Zero Hunger
- Target 2.3 – By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment
- Indicator 2.3.2 – Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status
- Target 2.4 – By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality
- Indicator 2.4.1 – Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture
SDG 12 – Sustainable consumption and production
- Target 12.2 – By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
- Indicator 12.2.1 – Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
- Indicator 12.2.2 – Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
Within the framework of the Soil-Geographic Database of Russian Federation Information System, several web applications have been developed. These applications are provided free of charge for smallholder farmers and used to obtain information on the normative productivity for agricultural land, land fertility, land applicability for agricultural production, as well as to estimate the optimal doses of application of mineral fertilizers.
Also, smallholder farmers have an opportunity to reassess the cadastral value of land based on the soil information system and thereby reduce the land tax. Individual assessment of the cadastral land value allows to take into account the characteristics of soils that limit the possibilities of agricultural production (local waterlogging, acidification and salinization) and thereby reduce the cadastral value of the land plot.
To successfully create and operate a soil information system, specialists of different skill levels are required to perform various tasks:
- Operators for digitizing analog information sources (numeric data, texts) – minimum level
- Operators for digitizing paper maps – minimum level of work with digital maps and geographic information systems
- To work in GIS (analysis, calculations, etc.) – specialists in the use of geographic information systems
- For the initial deployment and configuration of the soil information system (data center) – specialists in the field of database creation
- For the maintenance and development of the soil information system (data center) – specialists in database administration and programming, web programming.
Climate resilient agricultural technologies; Land access, ownership and tenure security
Soil science faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University
Eurasian Center for Food Security of Lomonosov Moscow State University
Сenter of agrochemical service “Belgorod”
Moscow Agrochemical Service Center
The soil information system is considered as an expert and analytical center, which acts as a coordinator and supports the functioning of a distributed network, as well as the development and distributing of internationally relevant standards for description, storage, presentation of soil information and data exchange through the use of specialized programs adapted to regional features. In addition, the purpose of the center is the implementation of communication between primary digital resources of natural and soil information localized in various organizations, agrochemical service regional centers, and federal agencies accumulating information necessary for making managerial decisions.
Annual performance indicators:
- Conducting trainings – up to 10 trainings for 10-15 people
- In-person and remote one-time consultations – up to 50 consultations
- Continuing education program on the use of GIS – 18-hour course at Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov (in person or remotely)
- Organization of internships at Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov on the use of GIS – up to 3 interns per year
- Technical assistance and consultations in the creation and operation of data centers – as needed
Annual costs for the operation of the soil information system:
- Center for the Collective use of Educational and Scientific Equipment – 500 000 USD
- Soil Data Center – 300 000 USD
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