An excursion into history: scientists of L.N. Gumilyov ENU investigate the contribution of agricultural scientists to the fight against soil erosion during the years of development of virgin and fallow lands in Northern Kazakhstan

Great things are seen from a distance and evaluated over time. Prevention of an ecological catastrophe in the east of the vast post-Soviet space, thanks to the soil protection system of agriculture, developed by the staff of the Institute of Academician A.I. Barayev and with his direct participation, became the property of history. His role in the creation of an agronomic civilization in the north of Kazakhstan, agricultural scientists of that period, was accepted with due understanding and used by them in their daily scientific and industrial activities.
        Their enormous, long-term work, and the courage shown at the same time, is akin to a perfect feat, however, the heroism of the team of scientists and their wise leader, who managed to resist the existing conservatism, party voluntarism and cruel opposition of colleagues from science, did not find proper research in history. The era of the creation and development of a soil protection system of agriculture is worthy of study and wide coverage, which, unfortunately, has not yet been carried out.
          Just recently, on the pages of the Russian scientific journal "Bulletin of Volgograd State University", an article was published by famous Kazakh scientists Arailym Sabitovna Musagaliyeva, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Department of History of Kazakhstan of Eurasian National University, and Roza Madenietovna Musabekova, Candidate of Philology, Associate Professor of the Department of Russian Philology of Eurasian National University "The activity of AURI of grain farming in the framework of the fight against soil erosion in the virgin regions of Kazakhstan (1960-1970s.)".
       This article reveals the activities of the All-Union scientific research institute of grain farming in the fight against soil erosion in the development of virgin and fallow lands in Northern Kazakhstan. In a short time, the Institute became the center of agricultural scientists throughout the Soviet Union.
       The scientific activity of the Institute's scientists was directly related to the country's agricultural policy, their research coincided with the beginning of the "project of virgin lands" in the arid regions of Kazakhstan. In the 1960s the first environmental problems appeared on the virgin lands.
        Large-scale land reclamation, plowing deprived the surface of arable land of stubble, the steppe was blown by strong winds in winter, the soil on huge areas remained without moisture, dried out and sprayed. The problems were aggravated by the companionship that unfolded at that time, when every year the virgin lands plowed by harrowing increased in area. Local leaders, in pursuit of high results, each time tried to plow as much free land as possible. In the 1960s – 1970s scientists have tried to solve the problem of soil erosion. It is not surprising that the AURI of grain farming was located in the very center of Northern Kazakhstan. His scientific activities were directly related to production, that is, with practical activities. Under the conditions of ideological supervision, scientists were able to achieve excellent results.
        The development of a new farming system, the cultivation of new high-yielding varieties of agricultural crops, the creation of agricultural machinery and equipment, virgin soil-protective agriculture - all these measures were able to radically change the current situation and solve the problem as soon as possible. In this regard, in the 1960-1970s the staff of the AURI of grain farming was intensively engaged in research in the framework of the fight against soil erosion in Northern Kazakhstan. But their work was not public, only after the collapse of the Soviet Union new archival documents appeared, fully revealing their scientific activities and selfless work for the benefit of Kazakhstani virgin lands.
        A.S. Musagaliyeva and R.M. Musabekova in their publication showed the history of the Kazakh virgin lands on the basis of new archival documents, including the fight against soil erosion, in which scientists gave impetus to the development of the agricultural sector and the solution of the ecological problem of Northern Kazakhstan. The goal determined the need to solve the following tasks: to reveal the formation and development of the Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Grain Economy, as well as its transition to the level of all-Union significance, to analyze the contribution of famous scientists to the fight against soil erosion. The sources of this study were the documents that are stored in the funds of the AURI, as well as the personal funds of its employees, which make it possible to recreate a complete picture of those historical events.
        It should be noted that the authors of this work plan to publish a number of scientific monographs on the topic under study, since today, in the context of diversification of agricultural production and the introduction of innovative technologies, the role of agricultural science is significantly increasing, the future of which belongs to a new generation of scientists who should preserve and increase that huge heritage, which was left by the luminaries of agricultural science.скачать dle 12.0