Assessment of the Impact of Forest Reclamation Measures for the Adaptation of Agriculture to Climate Change in the South of the Russian Plain

Abstract

The aim of this study was to study the effectiveness and economic efficiency of the impact of agroforestry complexes on the adaptation of agriculture to climate change in the south of the Russian Plain. It has been established that this manifests quantitatively in a significant decrease (by almost a third) in the area of wind-destroyed lands and drought-dead crops in farms protected by forest strips compared with open agricultural territories. The calculation of direct damage prevented by protective forest plantations from degradation and loss of soil fertility as a result of dust storms and indirect damage prevented by protective forest plantations from crop loss as a result of extreme droughts shows that the total amount of remuneration received by farmers from agroforestry in connection with the placement of a forest-forming element in their fields is EUR 317–1239 ha−1 year−1. This value is the contribution of agroforestry to adaptation to climate change and is subject to zonal dynamics—it depends on natural and climatic conditions. The application developed as part of this research has value for decision makers, since it allows for preliminary assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of agroforestry for various areas of farms and various natural zones.