Western agricultural investors in Russia and Ukraine: From fascination with soil to disappointment with climate

Visser O. Western agricultural investors in Russia and Ukraine: From fascination with soil to disappointment with climate // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2021. V.6. №4. P. 21-49.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2021-6-4-21-49

Annotation

This article looks at how imaginaries of land and climate play a role in farmland investment discourses and practices. Foreign farmland investors in the fertile black earth region of Russia and Ukraine have ‘celebrated’ soil fertility while largely ignoring climatic factors. The article shows a centuries-long history of outsiders coming to the region lured by the fertile soils, while grossly underestimating climate which has had disastrous implications for farm viability and the environment. Comparisons with historical and contemporary literature on other regions (e.g. the US prairies and North Africa) suggest that the underestimation of climatic risks by newcomers is remarkably prevalent in resource frontiers.

Keywords

Land imaginaries, ignorance, soil, farmland investment, climatе.

About the author

Visser Oane, Senior Researcher, International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), The Hague, of Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherland The Hague, Kortenaerkade 12, 2518 AX.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 


 

Read 670 times Last modified on Mar 19 2023

Russian Peasant Studies. Scientific journal

Center for Agrarian studies of the Russian Presidental Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA)

Hard copies of the journal can be purchased at the Delo e-store or by subscription in the "Press of Russia" Agency (subscription index - Т81017).

Friends and Partners

 


Rosa Luxemburg foundation
was a partner of Russian Peasant Studies before it was removed from list of approved foundations in 2022

Subscription

Here you can make free subscription to mailing list of our Journal.
captcha 
Subscription allows to receive letters with links to download latest Volume and articles in PDF.