Transition of Agriculture in Altai Krai: The Role of Structural Change, Introduction of Modern Soil Cultivation Practices and Agricultural Policy

The main aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the current developments in agricultural production in Altai Krai. First, the structural change ongoing in the last decade is presented. In this part, the importance of farm types is presented. This part is based on statistical data from the region. Second, current plant production practices the farmers are using are described based on a survey from 2016. We provide insight into the tillage technologies and crop rotations used as well as into the use of fertilizers and herbicides. We present this information separately for different farm types to be able to analyze the effect of farm types on the plant production technology. Furthermore, we provide and discuss the factors that—according to farmers—hinder the introduction of reduced-till technologies. In the last, third part of this chapter, we present the policy goals on the federal and regional levels and the main instruments for supporting the adoption of innovation technologies in the Altai Krai agriculture.