Ecological and economic substantiation of involvement of unused agricultural lands into agricultural cycle

Actual issue of unused agricultural lands in Russia on the example of Moscow region is considered in the paper, including economic efficiency of their involvement into agricultural use. Comprehensive methodology on unused lands involvement into agricultural use is given, including cultural, ameliorative, agrochemical and phytosanitary conditions within land plots, as well as an analysis of the natural and climatic potential and the availability of resources at a particular farm. An ecological and economic justification was carried out using the example of three sites in the Moscow region, located in Dmitrovsky, Yegoryevsky and Shakhovsky districts. The results of the research show that after agro-reclamation measures such as: liming, organic and mineral fertilizers application, sanitation and field improvement jobs – a significant increase in soil energy potential is expected. Studies on the ecological and economic efficiency for unused land return inti agricultural use show an acceptable payback period for capital investments, which varies from one year to 5 years, depending on the region. The developed methodology on the involvement of unused lands into agricultural use can be used as the basis for the state policy development in the field of rational use of land resources, which will increase the sustainability and competitiveness of agriculture in Russia. An integrated approach to the unused land development will significantly increase their productivity and economic efficiency, which is an important step towards ensuring the food security of the country.