Modern trends of knowledge-based agriculture development (challenges and prospects)

Modern trends in the development of high-tech agricultural production are oriented to priorities and challenges for society, the state and science, which are included in the Strategy of scientific and technological development of our country. The Strategy specifies the following major challenges for society, the state and the sciences that are related to agriculture: “Increasing anthropogenic pressures on the environment up to the scale threatening the reproduction of natural resources, and the increased risks associated with their inefficient use for citizens life and health; the need to ensure food security and food independence of Russia, competitiveness of domestic products in the world food markets, reduction of technological risks in the agro-industrial complex.” Priorities of scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation are: 1) the transition to a highly productive and environmentally friendly agro- and aquaculture; 2) effective response to large challenges, taking into account the interaction of man and nature; 3) development of technologies like natural ones; 4) ecosystems management. In modern conditions of the agroindustrial complex development, in acute shortage means and material resources, solution of the problem ensuring food and environmental safety should be based on the maximum use of natural and climatic resources, biological and environmental factors. The Federal V.R. Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology was created on the basis of the All-Russian Williams Fodder Research Institute, which has its richest history and experience in the agriculture biologization and ecologization, accumulated by many generations of research. Fodder production is the most ambitious, multifunctional and connecting branch of agriculture. It largely determines the state of animal husbandry and has a significant impact on the solution of key problems of the further development of the plant growing, agriculture, rational nature management, increasing the sustainability of agroecosystems and agrolandscapes to the effects of climate and negative processes, preservation of valuable agricultural lands and soil fertility reproduction, improvement of the territory ecological condition and environmental protection. Forage production unites all agriculture branches into a single system and gives huge advantages to the development of their biologization and ecologization.