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As the world grows more populous so the need to feed that population increases. Producing higher harvest yields requires the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Over the past 3 years in Kazakhstan we note a slight increase in their use, but not exceeding 13.5 tons annually. Yet even this level of use poses a threat of pollution for surface and groundwater, and indirectly, to humans. Agriculture In 2019, grain crop yields increased by 1.3 quintals per hectare. Wheat yield, quintals per hectare In 2019, yields in Kostanay and Aktobe regions were lower due to drought. 2017 = 12,4 2018 = 12,3 2019 = 10,1 Q he In 2019, more than 140 million head of cattle were vaccinated nationwide against 17 highly virulent diseases. The vaccination program for 2018- 2019 was fulfilled - 100%. Livestock - Kazakhstan - 2017–2019 2 415 700 6 764 200 16 000 000 193 100 40 000 000 815 100 2 623 700 7 137 900 16 400 000 202 200 44 500 000 802 700 2 826 000 7 437 600 16 900 000 214 800 42 500 000 822 200 2180 disposals of anthrax-infected livestock were noted nationwide. Mineral fertilizer usage - 2015–2019 Index 2015 Nitrogen fertilizers Phosphate fertilizers Potash fertilizers Total mineral fertilizers Mineral fertilizers per unit area Areas treated with mineral fertilizers % areas treated with mineral fertilizers of the total planted area 91,5 33,1 2,5 127,1 6,0 1,5 6,9 2016 2017 2018 2019 Unit Kilotons Kilotons Kilotons Kilotons Kg / hectare Millions of hectares Percentage 80,1 31,5 2,3 113,8 5,3 1,7 7,6 108,6 50,3 3,7 162,6 7,4 2 9,2 81 38,3 1,3 120,9 5,5 2,3 10,5 54,5 29,4 1,7 86,5 3,9 2,7 12,2 Pesticide use in 2018–2019 Insecticides ( ) tons Fungicides ( ) tons Herbicides ( ) tons Plant growth tons regulators ( ) Rodenticides ( ) tons Pesticides per unit area Kg / hectare ( ) 528,1 11 051 401,7 1 073 2018 0,6 4 455,8 11 344 31,5 1 276 2019 0,6 1,4 The condition of agricultural soils in Kazakhstan is deteriorating, with evidence of adverse effects on soil fertility. Soils are broken down in the following chart by negative effect indicators for simpler classification. Percentage of agricultural land distribution by reclamation groups - 2018–2019 Soil reclamation group Total farmland Soil absent negative indicators Coarse, rocky soil Saline soil Solonetzic soil Washout soil Deflated soil Wind and water eroded soil Waterlogged soil Wetland soil Other 2018 2019 100 19,3 20,1 16,6 27 2,3 11,2 0,1 1,4 0,5 1,5 100 19,4 19,7 16,7 27,1 2,3 11,3 0,1 1,4 0,5 1,5 Insufficient measures to combat negative factors impacting soils result in soil degradation. In 2019, more than 29 million hectares of Kazakhstan's arable land is in a degraded state; an additional 60 million hectares of land are at high risk of degradation. Soils undergoing strong degradation are located in the sand massifs of the desert, semi- arid and steppe zones of Kyzylkum, Muyunkum, Big and Little Barsyuk, and Sary- Ishikotrau. Percentage of soil degradation of agricultural land by region - 2019 Akmola Aktobe Almaty Atyrau East Kazakhstan Jambyl West Kazakhstan Karaganda Kyzylorda Kostanai Mangystau Pavlodar North Kazakhstan Turkestan 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 40,2 36,4 34,4 28,2 26,1 14,7 11,6 11,6 9,8 5,5 4 2 , 4 ,3 2,9 0,7 In 2018, in order to combat soil degradation, measures were taken including satellite imaging of agricultural land; an assessment of agrotechnological approaches to identify substandard land usage and non-compliance with agrotechnological standards; and an assessment of crop yields. In 2018, the United Nations Development Program in Kazakhstan implemented the following projects: "Support for the transition process to a “Green Economy” model for Kazakhstan”. Outcomes within the framework of this project include water-saving techniques which have been introduced in two regions of the country. “Supporting Sustainable Land Management in Steppe and Semi-arid Zones through Integrated Territorial Planning and Agro-environmental Incentives.” Percentage of increase in agricultural production efficiency - compared with 2012 levels 4 3,5 3 2,5 2 1,5 1 0,5 0 % year 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 1,3 1,8 2,2 2,8 4 2 3,4 15 10 5 0 Agriculture is one cause of soil degradation. Monitoring efforts in 2019 identified over 29 million hectares of erosion-prone land. With nearly 60 million hectares at risk of degradation, efforts must be made to arrest the process before the land is rendered unsuitable for farming. Organic fertilizer usage - 2015–2019 R oughly 150 pests, > 70 types of diseases, and 300 types of weeds are harmful to crops, resulting in up to 15- 30% reductions in crop yield. Pesticides of several types are applied for a range of loss-prevention purposes: insecticides*, fungicides**, herbicides***, rodenticides****, growth regulators and other preparations. ** Fungicides are chemicals used to control harmful fungi. * Insecticides are chemicals used to control harmful insects. **** Rodenticides are chemicals used to reduce rodent populations. *** Herbicides are chemicals used to control weeds. Organic fertilizers ( ) Kilotons Organic fertilizers per unit area ( ) Kg / hectare Areas treated with ( ) organic fertilizers Millions of hectares % of areas treated with organic fertilizers of the total planted area ( ) Percentage 609,2 29 0,06 0,3 626,6 28,9 0,08 0,4 1375,9 63 0,12 0,5 633 28,9 0,1 0,5 619,5 28 0,1 0,4 In 2019, plant protection measures which often employ pesticides were carried out on an area of 19,5 2,8 million hectares; plant quarantine measures were employed on an area of thousand hectares.
This interactive report was created by the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the support of the European Commission, the United Nations Environment Programme, and Zoï Environment Network.