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2025. Vol.10. №3.

Territorial differences in migration patterns of the rural youth in post-Soviet Russia

Oct 22 2025

Imangulov L. R. Territorial differences in migration patterns of the rural youth in post-Soviet Russia // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №3. P. 234-260.

EDN: NMKTIG

Annotation

The article considers the features of post-Soviet migration of the rural youth in Russian regions based on the statistical data and interviews with rural school graduates, their parents and experts. The author used the age shift method to show a longterm increase in the migration outflow of the rural youth in the post-Soviet period — from 5% to more than 18% — for cohorts born in the late 20th century. The results of the study confirmed the low attractiveness of rural areas in most regions of Russia for living. The author identified eight types of regions based on the features of post-Soviet migration of the rural youth: only three types show a smaller outflow of the youth from rural areas; for each type, the ratio of push, pull and attracting factors for the rural youth is presented. Based on the field materials, the author describes a type of return migration which is quite rare for rural regions: the return of the youth is highest in the southern agrarian regions and in the national republics of the North Caucasus; its distribution in these regions is limited. Return migration of the youth to rural areas is described on the example of eight rural districts of Bashkortostan, Krasnodar Region, Dagestan and North Ossetia–Alania. In the national republics of the North Caucasus, the return of the youth to rural areas is influenced by the social factor and the low competitiveness of rural school graduates in urban labor markets, in the Krasnodar Region — by the large-scale settlement in rural areas and high barriers for the rural youth in cities (like high real estate prices).

Keywords

Rural youth, population migration, educational migration, return migration, migration factors, rural areas.

About the author

Linar R. Imangulov, Junior Researcher at the Scientific Center for the Study of Rural Issues at Vernadsky University, Balashikha, Moscow Region, 50 Entuziastov Highway. PHD student, Engineer, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Leninskie Gory, 1, 119991.
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2025. Vol.10. №3.

Demographic challenges for Russian rural areas and their impact on staffing of agriculture

Oct 22 2025

Mitrofanov S. V., Yanbykh R. G., Orlova N. V., Nikolaev D. V. Demographic challenges for Russian rural areas and their impact on staffing of agriculture // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2025. V.10. №3. P. 38-67.

EDN: FIPUNN

Annotation

The article considers the demographic-institutional challenges of Russian rural areas and their impact on staffing of the agro-industrial complex (AIC). The authors focus on such key trends as depopulation, aging and urbanization, which reduce labor resources in agriculture, on structural changes in the age and gender dynamics of rural population, migration and degradation of social infrastructure (health, education, culture), which exacerbates the shortage of personnel in agriculture. The article describes the impact of demographic changes on the rural labor market in terms of growing latent unemployment, archaization of employment and declining quality of human capital, and regional differences in the demographic situation and their implications for sustainable rural development. Based on statistical data, the authors predict a further decline in rural population and a deterioration in its age structure, proposing such measures as the development of rural infrastructure, labor mobility and modern technologies in agriculture.

Keywords

Rural areas, demography, human resources, agriculture, urbanization, labor resources, migration, social infrastructure.

About the authors

Sergey V. Mitrofanov, PhD (Agriculture), Head of the Department of Economics of Innovation in Agriculture, Institute of Agrarian Research, National Research University Higher School of Economics. Pokrovsky Bl., 11, Moscow, 109028, Russia.
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Renata G. Yanbykh, DSc (Economics), Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Department of Agrarian Policy, Institute of Agrarian Research, National Research University Higher School of Economics. Pokrovsky Bl., 11, Moscow, 109028, Russia.
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Nadezhda V. Orlova, Head of the Institute of Agrarian Research, National Research University Higher School of Economics. Pokrovsky Bl., 11, Moscow, 109028, Russia.
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Dmitry V. Nikolaev, Expert, Department of Economics of Innovation in Agriculture, Institute of Agrarian Research, National Research University Higher School of Economics. Pokrovsky Bl., 11, Moscow, 109028, Russia. 
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2025. Vol.10. №2.

Current implementation of the Chinese strategy for agricultural development in the North-East

Jul 28 2025

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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2024. Vol.9. №4.

Settlement sustainability as a result of the human and social capital development (on the example of the urban-type settlement Oktyabrskoe in the Republic of Crimea)

Feb 10 2025

Gusakov T. Yu., Gusakova L. K. Settlement sustainability as a result of the human and social capital development (on the example of the urban-type settlement Oktyabrskoe in the Republic of Crimea) // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2024. V.9. №4. P. 218-245.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2024-9-4-218-245

Annotation

Sustainable development of territories is one of the key goals of global and national policy. However, despite the resonance and financial assistance, many territories still lag behind and suffer from social-economic crises due to the peculiarities of both economic specialization and local communities. In Russia, depopulation has affected not only certain types of settlements and localities but also macro-territories (such as the North and the Arctic), which is determined not only by economic backwardness but also by social atomization of local communities, i.e., weak social ties at the micro level. The government makes efforts to smooth out demographic contrasts within the country, providing lagging regions with additional funding in the form of federal transfers and subsidies (policy of participatory budgeting, national projects, and various target programs to support local projects). The population of the Crimean Peninsula, except for Sevastopol, has gradually decreased due to a number of reasons: the region’s peripheral status, lagging social-economic development, proximity to the war zone, ethnic tensions, etc. However, some settlements do not lose their population and even manage to increase the number of residents. The authors consider one such settlement in different perspectives (historical prerequisites, economic specialization, features of social-economic and economic-geographical development, possibilities for accumulating social and human capital) and make a conclusion that its sustainability cannot be ensured only by additional funding for improvement projects and infrastructure construction.

Keywords

Sustainable development, settlement, rural areas, human capital, social capital, Crimea.

About the authors

Timur Y. Gusakov., Researcher, Center for Agrarian Studies, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Vernadskogo Prosp., 82, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
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Lyudmila K. Gusakova, Independent Researcher. Novaya St., 19, Novoalekseevka village, Krasnogvardeisky district, Republic of Crimea, 297060, Russia.
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2024. Vol.9. №4.

The future of agricultural cooperatives in Russia: Does theory matter?

Feb 06 2025

Yanbykh R. G., Lerman Z. The future of agricultural cooperatives in Russia: Does theory matter? // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2024. V.9. №4. P. 6-20.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2024-9-4-6-20

Annotation

The article aims at identifying theoretical and practical reasons for the failure of the agricultural cooperation development in Russia. Authors suggest that rural cooperatives in Russia do not develop due to the general features of the formation of social capital in the Russian countryside, the lack of necessary institutional conditions, and the wrong idea that cooperatives based on the classical principles of cooperation can operate successfully in the contemporary economy and society. The first theoretical barrier to cooperation is that in the contemporary high-technology agriculture, hybrid structures (cooperatives) are less efficient than the hierarchical one used by agroholdings. The second theoretical barrier is the inconsistency of seven classical principles of cooperation formulated at the time of Raiffeisen (i.e. outdated) with today’s economic realities and their transformations. The third practical barrier is the rapid degradation of rural areas and the low level of trust and interaction between members of agricultural cooperatives, which is why there are no trends of the bottom-up development of cooperation. The authors conclude that a high level of social capital is the necessary condition for cooperation: at the formation stage, this level is high due to interpersonal relationships developed from the informal social interactions of its members and a high level of trust among members and between members and management, but cooperatives start to lose their social capital as they enlarge — the sense of community, trust and mutual assistance disappears, the atmosphere becomes more business-oriented.

Keywords

Cooperation, agricultural cooperatives, classical principles of cooperation, agroholdings, social capital, trust, rural development, rural areas.

About the authors

Renata G. Yanbykh, DSc (Economics), Institute for Agrarian Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics. Pokrovsky Blvr., 11, Moscow, 109028, Russia.
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Zvi Lerman, PhD (Finance), Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel). 76100, Israel, Rehovot, 12.
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2023. Vol.8. №4.

International typologies of rural areas

Apr 09 2024

Ershov A.M. International typologies of rural areas // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2023. V.8. №4. P. 41-53.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2023-8-4-41-53

Annotation

The article presents international, mainly European, typologies of rural areas, focusing on the features and differences in the criteria for identifying ‘rural’ territories in the European Union. The author explains the reasons for the need for more comprehensive typologies based on the transport accessibility of the territory, trajectories of its transformation, and macro-regional characteristics. The article considers the main methodological difficulties in developing a universal typology of rural areas for all regions of the world and emphasizes differences in the indicators and their threshold values used for typologies and in the levels of administrative-territorial analysis. The author provides references that reflect the methodological foundations of contemporary national typologies and mentions scientific innovations used in such research works. Finally, the article identifies the main common features of the presented typologies, focusing on their methodological limitations.

Keywords

Rural areas, international typologies, spatial differentiation, types of rural areas, assessment methods, rural-urban continuum, transition zones, identification criteria.

About the author

Alexey M. Ershov, PhD Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Leninskie Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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2023. Vol.8. №2.

A multi-scale typology of rural areas under the post-Soviet transformations (on the example of the Tambov Region)

Aug 20 2023

Prusikhin O.E., Krutov O.D., Vorobiev M.I., Loktionov K.S., Vepritsky A.A., Alekseev A.I. A multi-scale typology of rural areas under the post-Soviet transformations (on the example of the Tambov Region) // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2023. V.8. №2. P. 64-103.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2023-8-2-64-103

Annotation

Russian countryside is heterogeneous, and in the post-Soviet period, this heterogeneity has increased. Moreover, the image of the countryside in the perception of the authorities and society is far from reality, which leads to the mistakes in the assessment of its condition and prospects. Russian scholars usually study the northern countryside and ethnic republics, while the studies of the Russian steppe regions are less common. The authors consider the factors of the rural territorial differentiation under the post-Soviet transformations in one of the most homogeneous steppe regions — Tambov — at the level of municipal districts and rural settlements. The suggested typology of districts is based on the statistical indicators which reflect changes in the intensity of territorial development in the last thirty years; and the typology of settlements is based on 53 interviews and observations during the expedition to the Michurinsky, Gavrilovsky and Uvarovsky districts in the summer of 2022. The authors conclude that the natural factor still determines the intensity of transformations both directly (higher intensification of crop production in the south) and indirectly (through the settlement and transportation system). The influence of the economic-geographical position (proximity to cities) and of the institutional factor (large investors are interested in unallocated land) is also significant.

Keywords

Post-soviet transformations, rural areas, Tambov Region, changing functions, typology, rural settlements.

About the authors

Oleg E. Prusikhin, Master’s Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Leninsky Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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Oleg D. Krutov, Master’s Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Leninsky Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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Maxim I. Vorobiev, PhD Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Leninsky Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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Kirill S. Loktionov, Bachelor’s Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Leninsky Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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Alexander А. Vepritsky, Bachelor’s Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Leninsky Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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Alexander I. Alekseev, DSc (Geography), Professor, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Leninsky Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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2023. Vol.8. №1.

New functions of coastal rural areas in southern Russia: On the example of the Temryuk district in the Krasnodar Region

May 30 2023

Imangulov L.R., Kuksin Ya.K. New functions of coastal rural areas in southern Russia: On the example of the Temryuk district in the Krasnodar Region // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2023. V.8. №1. P. 104-130.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2023-8-1-104-130

Annotation

The article considers new functions of the coastal rural areas in southern Russia in the post-Soviet period. The authors identify regional features of the post-Soviet transformation of the coastal countryside, including the preservation of agrarian specialization and employment, growth of the rural population, new functions of rural areas, positive migration balance, etc. Based on the dynamics of the available social-economic indicators (investments in fixed assets, population, migration, etc.), the authors show the intensity of transformations at the district and settlement levels. The main social-economic actors of rural transformation are agricultural enterprises (wineries), tourism, ‘new Southerners’, port facilities, etc., which affect the main components of rural areas — land use, transport and social infrastructure, employment and local communities. At the intra-district level, the authors suggest a typology of rural settlements based on the dynamics of transformations in the post-Soviet period and prevailing functions (recreational, agro-industrial or multifunctional). In the final part of the article, based on the in-depth interviews, the authors identify the post-Soviet trajectories of rural settlements of the same kind and administrative status but with different functions and locations — Golubitskaya, Starotitrovskaya and Taman. Based on the multi-scale analysis of the local rural transformations, the authors emphasize the key role of the geographic factor in the functional typology of rural areas.

Keywords

Geography of rural areas, rural areas, multifunctionality, geographical factor, investments, Temryuk district.

About the author

Linar R. Imangulov, Master’s Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Leninskie Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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Yaroslav K. Kuksin, Bachelor’s Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Leninskie Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991.
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2022. Vol.7. №1.

Farming and the rural world: A generational change

May 15 2022

Vinogradsky V. G., Vinogradskaya O. Ya. Farming and the rural world: A generational change // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2022. V.7. №1. P. 131-145.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2022-7-1-131-145

Annotation

The authors systematize the types of circumstances which explain the objective change in rural (in particular farmer) generations of new Russia. Farming is considered in the double linguistic perspective — as a general definition and as a name of agrarian economic practices in their historical evolution. The authors examine the specific form of the legislative consolidation of the concept of farming, which directly indicates its transitive social-cultural mission; analytically assess the potential of the generational approach to the study of farming; suggest some key features of the new farming world and the ways of life which the next generation of farmers would choose. The authors conclude that the existing farming ‘society’ has accumulated a potential of changes which have already passed the initial approbation and can ensure the development of various, including very promising, activity models, forms and patterns for the future.

Keywords

Farming, generational approach, generation, peasant economy, farmer, rural world, rural areas, everyday life practices.

About the authors

Valery G. Vinogradsky, DSc (Philosophy), Leading Researcher, Center for Agrarian Studies, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. 119571, Moscow, Vernadskogo Prosp., 82.
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Olga Y. Vinogradskaya, Researcher, Center for Agrarian Studies, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. 119571, Moscow, Vernadskogo Prosp., 82.
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2021. Vol.6. №4.

European approach to the regulation of mountainous rural areas

Jan 13 2022

Ershov A. M. European approach to the regulation of mountainous rural areas // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2021. V.6. №4. P. 164-184.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2021-6-4-164-184

Annotation

The article considers European initiatives and development programs for mountainous areas, and also changes in the approaches to the development of rural areas in the international debates. The author examines the structure and tasks of the EU rural development strategies and programs, the macro-regional and state mountain policies. The author suggests a typology of the national mountain policies’ development in European countries, and provides references on the contemporary development programs for mountainous areas focusing on the main factors of rural transformation. The article also presents a list of projects in mountainous rural areas of the EU by country.

Keywords

Rural areas, mountainous areas, development programs, strategies, European experience, Europe, mountain policy, rural policy, transformation, sustainable development, rural revitalization.

About the author

Alexey M. Ershov, Master’s Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Leninskie Gory, 1.
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