Problem of the Accuracy and Completeness of Information on the Status and Use of Agricultural Lands

Abstract

Accurate and complete information on the status and use of agricultural lands is required to take rational managerial decisions in the agricultural industry. Their aim is to ensure agricultural development and the effective use of agricultural lands, in particular. Analysis of information sources containing data on the status and use of agricultural lands shows that there are data pitfalls related to the area of agricultural lands and the area of agricultural lands not used as intended. This study revealed that there is misinformation about the area of vacant agricultural lands and the area of unclaimed land areas in the Russian Federation. The reliability of the available information on the area of agricultural lands of different ownership forms is questionable, provided that the division of agricultural land occurs at a slow pace. Accurate, complete, and timely information on the land market and accurate state cadastral assessment of agricultural lands will reduce the information asymmetry that impairs the selection, and improve the conditions for the agricultural land market operation. The existing problems with the accuracy and completeness of information on the status and use of agricultural lands should be resolved through improvements in the Unified Federal Information System for Agricultural Lands. The system was put into operation in 2018 by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, which collects and consolidates information on agricultural lands. To do this, it is required to develop a mechanism that allows the EFIS ZSN to receive information from various sources, while one of the information providers should not be interested in its content.