OREANDA-NEWS. Scientific Director of the Russian Hydrometeorological Center Roman Vilfand, during the presentation of the report “Global Climate and Soil Cover of Russia” at the Dokuchaev Soil Institute, stated that climate change will not allow the development of new lands for agriculture in the country. “Due to climate change, there is no possibility of expanding the range of lands that are suitable for farming. The words “virgin land”… should be forgotten. There is no way to develop agriculture in new lands,” the scientist said.

At the same time, Vilfand noted that there is an opportunity to improve the crop capacity on existing agricultural territories.

According to the report, agricultural land in Russia occupies 22 % of the country’s area. The authors emphasize that in countries with comparable climatic conditions, agriculture covers 13–15 % of the territory, so the Russia’s figure is the maximum possible.