Traditionally, the Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture and Peat, branch of the SFSCA RAS, is engaged in the study of bog ecosystems, peat resources and peat processing. The Institute has been developing the direction of peat utilization in agriculture since 1984, and the future year 2024 is the 40th anniversary year. Since 1996, the Vasyugansky field station has been functioning in the Bakcharsky district of the Tomsk region, where the Institute's employees conduct comprehensive studies of bog functioning processes, peat accumulation, and also conduct stationary studies of waterlogging processes in the territory (including agricultural lands). The stationary attracts researchers from all over Russia, as well as from abroad. The plans include organizing scientific tourism and volunteering.
Scientists of the Institute on the basis of ground observations and remote sensing data develop geoinformation databases containing data on the characteristics of wetlands, the state of peat resources of the Tomsk region, which is an integral part of production activities in the field of subsoil use and planning of socio-economic development of the territories. Methodological work is also carried out on the issues of geoinformation modeling of wetland areas.
In the area of peat processing, research is focused on the development of preparations for crop and livestock farming, but also for solving environmental problems associated with oil spills. These include: humic fertilizers based on peat, including those additionally enriched with cobalt, copper, zinc and boron, which provide increased yields of cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruit and berry crops; humic feed additives and sorbents for farm and domestic animals, which ensure the health of the gastrointestinal tract; a peat sorbent for removing oil from the water surface and a peat ameliorant for soil remediation after oil spills. The institute also develops soils based on peat.
The SFSCA RAS branch SibNIISKHiT regularly holds scientific and practical conferences on the problems of studying and utilizing peat resources in Siberia.