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AgricultureAgriculture in Priladozhie districts has considerably higher significance for the regional economy of the Reublic of Karelia (where Priladozhie districts are the southernmost in the Republic), than for the Leningrad region (where the Ladoga districts are mostly the northernmost ones). For example Sortavala district, where one tenth of all the cropland of the Republic is located ("Iskra", "Bolshevik" and other collective farms) gives an important contribution to the agricultural product in Karelia. One of the largest republican enterprises is the "Sortavalsky" state breeding farm. Well-developed are also poultry farming ("Priladozhsky" collective farm) and fur animal farming ("Kaalamsky" collective farm and fur animal farm). The number of private farms in Sortavala is the largest in the Republic of Karelia - 110. In the smallest of the Karelian districts Lahdenpohsky meat and diary farming is the most important one. Stock companies "Zarya", "Zastava", "Kurkieki", limited partnerships "Jakkimsky", "Druzhba" were organized on the basis of former collective farms. The village of Taunan is the centre of the "Taunansky" breeding farm. At the beginning of 1997 there were 66 farms in the district, their development enhanced by the road infrastructure. Functioning in the Ladoga districts of the Leningrad region are over 50 agricultural enterprises. In addition, the agricultural complex includes over 1500 private farms, about 60,000 household plot farms, over 600,000 private garden plots, as well as agricultural product and peat processing enterprises, cross-sectoral forestry enterprises. Role of large aagricultural enterprises increasing along the northwards direction in the region. In Karelia they are responsible for more than 80% of farmland. In the last 7 years gross agricultural product dropped by 40%. The most severe production recession was observed in specialised feeder pig and cattle enterprises, non-breeder growing enterprises. The relative share contributed by household plots to the total agricultural product increased. Despite the tendency for the increase in the number of small private farms their relative contribution to the total agricultural product is insignificant. From the point of view of nature conservation in the Ladoga region ongoing changes in agricultural practices have both positive and negative consequences. Increase in numbers of small farms and private agricultural enterprises build up an essential basis for development of a program of sustainable agriculture in the Region. Among those positive changes that have already happened the notable decrease in application of fertilisers should be mentioned. The amount of organic fertilisers applied to 1 ha dropped more than 4-fold, mineral fertilisers - 9-fold, liming of acid soils - 10-fold. On the other hand, decrease in cultivation of crops and cattling results in considerable decrease of the farmed land. Such a decrease already resulted in appearance of a number of areas with overgrown fields that has a negative effect on the semi0natural ecosystems dependent on agriculture. Furthermore, this reduced availability of feeding grounds for a number of valuable species, such as migrating geese of local populations of the wild boar (see "Environment"). Lack of resources and necessity to maintain drainage network in the area causes rewetting of some territories and results in disturbances of the soil cover. All this consequences seem to be very dangerous and strong enough to create a disbalance in the natural development of the area. |
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