Assessment of the Use of the Potential of Agricultural Lands in Voronezh Region

The uniqueness and specifics of the land significantly affects both the organization of agricultural production and the rural area management. In order to make well-founded management decisions the economic subjects and public authorities need scientific grounding for assessment of land potential and its use efficiency. The authors suggest using three approaches to land quality and use assessment: agro-climatic potential, land quality score and agricultural production per hectare. Uniting these approaches into single assessment procedure produces a fairly objectively estimation of the economic potential of agricultural land in each selected territory

A Review of On-Site Wastewater Treatment Systems in Western Australia from 1997 to 2011

On-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) are widely used in Western Australia (WA) to treat and dispose of household wastewater in areas where centralized sewerage systems are unavailable. Septic tanks, aerobic treatment units (ATUs), and composting toilets with greywater systems are among the most well established and commonly used OWTS. However, there are concerns that some OWTS installed in WA are either performing below expected standards or failing. Poorly performing OWTS are often attributed to inadequate installation, inadequate maintenance, poor public awareness, insufficient local authority resources, ongoing wastewater management issues, or inadequate adoption of standards, procedures, and guidelines. This paper is to review the installations and failures of OWTS in WA. Recommendations to the Department of Health Western Australia (DOHWA) and Local Government (LG) in regard to management strategies and institutional arrangements of OWTS are also highlighted

Water recycling in Western Australia: analysis of 2003-2009 water quality monitoring programme

Water-recycling schemes have been in operation in Western Australia since 1960. As a requirement of the regulatory framework for wastewater reuse, periodic water quality monitoring has been implemented to demonstrate microbial compliance for the intended end-use. For this study, we originally planned to analyse the compliance of the 92 water recycling schemes in the database over a 7 year period (2003–2009); however, it was necessary to exclude 21 schemes because they either lacked sufficient data or their recording standards were too inconsistent for the analysis. Compliance was analysed by comparing: (i) the observed microbial results against the quality criteria and (ii) the number of samples analysed against the expected number of samples based on regulatory frequency requirements. The results indicate that 12% of the remaining 71 schemes analysed did not comply with water quality criteria over the 7 year period, and most of the original 92 recycling schemes did not comply with the expected number of samples. Challenges faced by existing schemes in conforming to the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling: Managing Health and Environmental Risks (Phase 1) (2006) and the Guidelines for the Non-Potable Uses of Recycled Water in Western Australia (2011) are discussed

Modern aspects of ensuring the security of the agro-industrial complex

The article substantiates the urgent need for the formation of import-substituting clusters in the agro-industrial complex to ensure food security. In modern reality, carrying out business activities, agro-industrial organizations are already using the advantages of integration to a certain extent, but at the same time, the key interests and guidelines of allied participants in entrepreneurial activities are insufficiently balanced. The authors have identified the methodological features of the formation of the subject of integration (agri-food polycluster formation), using the cluster tools of intersectoral reengineering. The basis for the introduction of the subjects of integration - allied participants in entrepreneurial activity - was their initial assessment and analysis of the factors and conditions of business activity, where the negative results of import substitution, which is an effective threat to food security, can be traced as much as possible. Evaluation of the target pairing through the integration of related business participants allows one to quantitatively assess the predominance of the target points of integration subjects - related business participants using information at the macro and micro levels

Assessment of the State of Food Security in the Russia

Changes in approaches of FAO food security monitoring after the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals until 2030 and innovations in the 2020 RF Food Security Doctrine were considered. The assessment of the current state and  trends in food security in Russia from 2013 to 2019 (by several available indicators - for 2020) was carried out using different method

Role of agricultural processing for food security of the Trans-Baikal Territory

The article is devoted to the assessment of the impact of the food industry of the Trans-Baikal territory on the food security of the region. A study based on the actual state of the industry showed that its development is impossible without improving the situation in agriculture. The presence of a large volume of products imported into the Trans-Baikal Territory indicates a strong dependence of its economy on external supplies. A partial solution of the problem is possible on condition of creation of agro-holdings in the region covering the full cycle production of food products from cultivation of raw materials to reception of final product

Estimation of the Potential for Growth of Production and Export of Competitive Products of the Agroindustrial Complex

The starting positions of Russian agar export in the implementation of the federal project have been determined, consisting in weak diversification, a low level of intra-industry trade, and a decrease in competitiveness for products of high value added. The potential of export growth for goods that do not have comparative advantages and for competitive agricultural products - grain and sunflower is estimated

Rodent Models of Depression: Neurotrophic and Neuroinflammatory Biomarkers

Rodent models are an indispensable tool for studying etiology and progress of depression. Since interrelated systems of neurotrophic factors and cytokines comprise major regulatory mechanisms controlling normal brain plasticity, impairments of these systems form the basis for development of cerebral pathologies, including mental diseases. The present review focuses on the numerous experimental rodent models of depression induced by different stress factors (exteroceptive and interoceptive) during early life (including prenatal period) or adulthood, giving emphasis to the data on the changes of neurotrophic factors and neuroinflammatory indices in the brain. These parameters are closely related to behavioral depression-like symptoms and impairments of neuronal plasticity and are both gender- and genotype-dependent. Stress-related changes in expression of neurotrophins and cytokines in rodent brain are region-specific. Some contradictory data reported by different groups may be a consequence of differences of stress paradigms or their realization in different laboratories. Like all experimental models, stress-induced depression-like conditions are experimental simplification of clinical depression states; however, they are suitable for understanding the involvement of neurotrophic factors and cytokines in the pathogenesis of the disease—a goal unachievable in the clinical reality. These major regulatory systems may be important targets for therapeutic measures as well as for development of drugs for treatment of depression states

Assessment of the Use of the Potential of Agricultural Lands in Voronezh Region

The uniqueness and specifics of the land significantly affects both the organization of agricultural production and the rural area management. In order to make well-founded management decisions the economic subjects and public authorities need scientific grounding for assessment of land potential and its use efficiency. The authors suggest using three approaches to land quality and use assessment: agro-climatic potential, land quality score and agricultural production per hectare. Uniting these approaches into single assessment procedure produces a fairly objectively estimation of the economic potential of agricultural land in each selected territory