The Central Federal District of Russia includes 17 oblasts (regions): Belgorodskaya, Branskaya, Vladimirskaya, Ivanovskaya, Voronezhskaya, Kaluzhskaya, Kostromskaya, Kurskaya, Lipezkaya, Moscovskaya, Orlovskaya, Razanskaya, Cmolenskaya, Tambovskaya, Tverskaya, Tulskaya, and Yaroslavskaya.

The total sown area of the District is about 14 million ha. Cereals —wheat and barley— occupy 40% of the crop area, followed by fodder crops 32%, potato 6%, sunflower 5%, and sugar beet 4%. Most of the arable land in the District (78%) belongs to large agricultural enterprises or agro-holdings, 12 % to farmers, and 10% to households. The District produces 19% of the cereals, 51% of the sugar beet, 16% of the sunflower, 30% of the potato and 23% of the vegetables in the nation.

The Central District is responsible for 33% of the current fertilizer use in Russia, with an average NPK rate in 2007 of 52 kg/ha that is substantially higher than the average rate for the whole Russia (32 kg/ha). The leading regions in fertilizer application are Lipezkaya (99 kg/ha), Belgorodskaya (85 kg/ha), and Kurskaya (68 kg/ha), where cereals are grown.

There is currently a very fast development going on in both animal husbandry and crop production in the District due to heavy investment by Moscow because most regions are located close to the city. Investments go to agro-holdings for new machinery, high quality seeds, and agricultural inputs —including fertilizers — aimed to profit from agricultural production. Agro-holdings can be found in the most productive regions of Central Russia (Belgorodskaya, Lipezkskaya, Moscowskaya, and Tambovskaya oblasts) and are functioning successfully, even under the current unfavorable economic conditions. Such farms have managed to adjust rapidly to the new economic conditions because their operators have studied the market situation, identified the most profitable channels through which to sell their products, restructured their production according to market requirements, and successfully developed the processing of agricultural products —selling them through a network of their own stores, retail markets or trusted wholesale agents at more favorable prices. Agro-holdings could become centers of scientific and technological progress, showing other farms how to work under market conditions.

Current average yields of the main crops are still below the attainable yields. For example, winter wheat yields in the District average 1,5-2,7 t/ha, but according to experimental results obtained in the non-chernozemic zone with improved N management by the Research Institute of Agriculture in the Central Region, modern high-yield winter wheat varieties can yield 10-12 t/ha. The same situation applies for spring barley.

The District has potential to increase the area planted to rapeseed. The sown area and production of rapeseed has increased tremendously during the last seven years driven by a demand for export, biodiesel production, and food industry. However, average rapeseed yields in the district vary from 0,8 to 1,5 t/ha, while attainable yield is estimated up to 3,3 t/ha.

IPNI activity in this region will focus on two main goals. First, to increase N, P and K applications at economically optimum rates in wheat, barley and rapeseed through the Fertilizer Best Management Practices approach. Second, to disseminate and generalize —whenever possible— the information on economically beneficial cropping systems developed under similar climatic and soil conditions, such as the USA and Canada.