Impact of rice farming on the state of land and water resources of Kuban

The article underlines that rice growing in the Kuban is an important strategic direction for the development of the agro-industrial complex, since rice is the most profitable crop among all grains. However, the active development of this industry has led to significant ecological problems. One of the problems is irrational water consumption. The analysis of the distribution of irrigated agricultural lands in the Krasnodar Territory by the depth of groundwater level, humus content in the rice-growing regions of the Krasnodar Territory, the irrigation rate of water consumption and the reclamation state of irrigated agricultural lands made it possible to establish that today less than half of rice fields in the Kuban is in satisfactory conditions, but the rest of the region can have swamp processes and secondary salinization of soils leading to a decrease in soil fertility. In addition, the risk of fresh water scarcity is increasing. Based on the conducted studies, the author identifies the need to develop measures to reduce the water consumption of rice systems and improve the management of land and water resources, and also proposes such measures for rational water consumption, taking into account scientifically based crop rotations and the organization of a special water regime. It has been established that rice production with rational water consumption creates an opportunity to preserve the entire ecosystem of the region.