Shagaida N. I., Ternovsky D. S. From garden to fields: The difficult path of the potato // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №4. P. 146-164.

EDN: PDSUBX

Annotation

The article considers the structural shifts in the Russian potato market from 1991 to 2025. Based on the Rosstat data, agricultural censuses and household budget surveys, the authors identify long-term trends in the potato price dynamics, consumption, production and economic affordability. Thus, despite periodic price jumps, in the long run the potato has steadily become cheaper in real terms, while simultaneously losing significance in the consumer basket under the rising population income. The authors focus on the deep transformation of the production structure — a rapid shift in dominance from households (their share in production fell from 90% in the 1990s to 50% in 2022) to the commercial sector (agricultural enterprises and (peasant) farms). This shift is determined by the declining economic viability of household production compared to large enterprises implementing new technologies. The authors warn of risks to food security associated with the decline in household production outpacing growth in the commercial sector, which potentially leads to increased price volatility, and propose government support measures aimed at stimulating cooperation, facilitating access to land, and increasing production efficiency to ensure a stable potato market.

Keywords

Potato, households, food consumption, agricultural production, food security, food prices, price volatility, economic affordability, purchasing power.  

About the authors

Natalia I. Shagaida, DSc (Economics), Head of the Center for Agro-Food Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Vernadskogo Prosp., 82, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
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Denis S. Ternovsky, DSc (Economics), Senior Researcher, Center for Agro-Food Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Vernadskogo Prosp., 82, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
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Makeeva S.B. Current implementation of the Chinese strategy for agricultural development in the North-East // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №2. P. 136-160.

EDN: CAAWWD

Annotation

The article considers agricultural development of the Northeastern region of China, focusing on the current implementation of the state agricultural strategy in three provinces — Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning. Since 2003, these provinces have implemented the strategy of restoring the old industrial base and since 2023 — the strategy of strengthening the agricultural complex and ensuring food security in Northeast China. Based on the analysis of normative and statistical data from the reports on the development of Northeast China, the author aims at summarizing the experience of implementing its strategy with system and statistical methods. Thus, Northeast China has significant advantages in the development of agricultural sector due to the restoration of its industrial base since 2003, which became an impetus for agricultural production and subsequently led to the inclusion of Dongbei in the project of the strong agricultural state. Today Northeast China develops high-quality, scientific-technological, ‘green’ and ‘branded’ agriculture. The implementation of the new agricultural strategy in the Northeastern region affects the development of rural infrastructure in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces.

Keywords

Northeast China, black-earth belt, agricultural production, strategy, rural areas, agricultural workers, ‘green’ food, grain growing, animal husbandry, ‘branded’ agriculture, food security.

About the author

Svetlana B. Makeeva, DSc (History), Associate Professor, Department of Chinese Studies, Head of the Department of Regional Demography, Institute for Demographic Research of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Fotievoy St., 6, Moscow, 119333.
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Ryazantsev S.V., Vartanova M.L. Dynamics and key directions of sustainable development of regional agriculture in the context of ensuring national and food security of the Russian Federation // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №1. P. 202-225.

EDN: SQCVNB

Annotation

The article identifies the problems and features of agricultural production in Russia’s regions. The main arguments proving the relevance of target qualitative indicators in the methodology of regional management of the agricultural sector (improved efficiency of agricultural sector and increased output of agricultural and food products to the level that ensures regional food security) were chosen according to the initial and projected situation in food supply. This allowed the authors to apply statistical forecasting methods and make a matrix of key directions in the development of agricultural production according to the national security requirements, to identify significant differences between Russia’s regions and to present an optimal ratio of productivity and profitability, production and consumption of agricultural products for each territory. Thus, the article provides general theoretical ideas adapted to the current trends of social-economic and scientific-technical development to assess the role of agriculture and agro-industrial complex in Russian regions with different climatic conditions, and the authors formulate scientifically sound recommendations on the scope and directions for expanding agricultural specialization even in regions with unfavorable climatic conditions.

Keywords

Agricultural sector, dynamics, key areas, national security, indicators, food security, Russia’s regions, agriculture, agricultural production, sustainable development, federal districts, economic security.

About the authors

Sergey V. Ryazantsev, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, DSc (Economics), Professor, Department of International Economic Relations, RUDN University; Lecturer, Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Phutthamonthon, Salaya, Bangkok, 73170, Thailand.
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Marina L. Vartanova, DSc (Economics), Chief Researcher, Department of the Study of Socio-Demographic Processes in the EAEU, Institute of Demographic Research, Federal Research Sociological Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Fotievoy St., 6, Moscow, 119333, Russia.
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Bozhkov O.B. Same addresses 10 years later (first impressions of the expedition-2018 to Boksitogorsky and Babaevsky districts) // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2018. V.3. №3. P. 115-127.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2018-3-3-115-127

Annotation

In 2006–2008, the author took part in the expeditions to seven districts of four subjects of the Russian Federation, which were supported by the Russian Foundation for Humanities. The research project included (according to the sequence of field trips): in the Tver Region — Maksatikhinsky and Lesnoy districts; in the Novgorod Region — Pestovsky district; in the Vologda Region — Ustyuzhensky, Kaduysky and Babayevsky districts; in the Leningrad Region — Boksitogorsky district. At that time, the Federal Law No. 131 “On Local Self-Government” was adopted, and we conducted a survey of all heads of municipalities (rural settlements) and heads of operating agricultural enterprises including peasant farms. The results of expeditions were presented at a number of Russian and international conferences, and in numerous publications. The current research aims at studying those mechanisms of interaction of rural business with local authorities that reproduce the rural entrepreneurial stratum. To achieve this goal, we focus on the interaction of agricultural business with local (district and municipal) authorities and on its changes over the past fifteen years; and consider configurations of different interaction factors, which ensure the most effective reproduction of the entrepreneurial stratum in the village, in order to reconstruct models of interaction based on such configurations. Thus, the research focus on regional differences in the policies of local authorities for agricultural production and on their changes determined by the changes of the heads of district and municipal administrations. 

Keywords

Local self-government, agricultural production, municipal government, rural entrepreneurship, Internet.

About the author

Oleg B. Bozhkov, Senior Researcher, Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Head of the Research Center “Biographical Foundation”. 190005, Saint Petersburg, 7th Krasnoarmeiskaya St., 25/14.
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Merl S. Agrarian transformations in the former GDR in 1989–2017: A success story? // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2017. V.2. №4. P. 130-147.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2017-2-4-130-147

Annotation

The transformations of agriculture in the direction of privatization and adaptation to the market started in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. Looking back from today, this was a difficult process for the economic transition was strongly influenced by changing prices and demand for agricultural goods. Today in most countries, agricultural productivity is higher though problems and uncertainties are still evident especially considering the structural changes of agricultural enterprises and their consequences for rural life. The article focuses on the country in which agrarian transformations seem to be a success story: in the GDR, the agricultural productivity grew significantly, and the new structures of the agricultural enterprises allowed competing at the world market. The author does not directly compare the former GDR and Russia though the article contributes to understanding the reasons of the problematic outcomes of the transition in Russia. The article highlights general problems of agrarian transformations such as the uncertainty of their structural aims, and puts forward the following questions: can the GDR be considered a success story transferable to other countries as the political approach in Germany was more sophisticated or is there another explanation of its success? Was the success a result of the political course, or was it, on the contrary, an unexpected result of the lack of control? Another question is the criteria for considering the transition in the GDR a success in the economic sense (increase in productivity), social (keeping up the rural community), ecological or agricultural (increase in sustainability of production). To answer these questions the author relies on the statistical data for more than two decades, monitoring data on the still ongoing transition and partly privatization and registration of new enterprises, his own studies of agricultural enterprises in different new countries together with the Russian colleagues (1992, 1997, 2002 and 2016), which allowed to understand the estimates and reactions of people to different challenges of the transition.

Keywords

agrarian transformations, the former GDR (German New Countries), economic transition, agricultural production, rural communities

About the author

Stephan Merl, DSc (History), Professor, Bielefeld University; 25 Universitätsstr., 33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
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Bozhkov O.B., Ignatova S.N. Regional practices of business and the authorities interaction (the Russian North-West case) // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2017. V.2. №1. pp. 115-130.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2017-2-1-115-130

Annotation

The coordination of interests, cooperation and confrontation between the local authorities  and business within the rural society play an important role in the development  of rural Russia. The authors believe that the function of creating the rural business climate  belongs to the regional authorities, while the local self-government lacks the levers  of interaction with entrepreneurs. The success of entrepreneurial activities in agriculture  is determined both by the strategy of local (and regional) leaders in the industry,  and by human and social capital of rural enterprises’ managers. There is an obvious  “patrimonial” model of management, in which the head of the district develops an internal  policy based on one’s own goals and objectives with an eye on the regional requirements.  This policy either encourages the development of agriculture at the local level,  or only supports its preservation without any prospects for growth. Such conclusions  are based on the results of long-term studies in the peripheral agricultural areas of  non-Black-Earth regions of the Russian Federation. Despite the territorial proximity and  similarity of geography and climate, each area under study has its own strategy for the  development of agricultural business. Thus, the most interesting and various practices  can be observed at the district level due to the specific conditions for the local agricultural  enterprises. The authors confirmed their initial assumption that it is necessary  to conduct a typological analysis of territories and to form clusters of similar (in many  ways) areas to develop a single model of rural development for the Russian Federation. 

Keywords

ocal authorities, business environment, agricultural production, practices of interaction

About the authors

Oleg B. Bozhkov, Senior Researcher, Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Head of the Research Center “Biographical Foundation”. 190005, Saint Petersburg, 7 Krasnoarmeiskay St., 25/14.
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Svetlana N. Ignatova, Researcher, Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 190005, St. Petersburg, 7 Krasnoarmeiskay st., 25/14.
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