Samburova S.A., Alekseev A.I. Post-Soviet regional center: Urbanization or ruralization? // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2023. V.8. №3. P. 144-184.
DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2023-8-3-144-184
Annotation
Today, urban-type settlements still have an ‘intermediate’ position between the city and the village, as in the Soviet period. However, the consequences of the 1990s’ crisis and the transition to the market economy have changed the social-economic situation in such settlements. The authors consider Lokot in the Brasovsky district of the Bryansk Region as an example of the peripheral urban-type settlement and describe its changes on the axis of urbanization in the post-Soviet period based on the following indicators: appearance of the village, employment, mobility, migration and lifestyle of its population. Each indicator has undergone transformations of various scale since the collapse of the Soviet Union, but there is no single trend (pro-urban or pro-rural): the appearance of the village and the lifestyle of the local population have become more urban due to the development of the services sector, while employment, mobility and migration, on the contrary, have become more rural primarily due to the closure of the city-forming industrial enterprises, which led to a significant outflow of the able-bodied population to cities. Thus, the multidirectional nature of transformation does not allow to unambiguously define Lokot as a city or a village.
Keywords
Urban-type settlement, city, village, lifestyle, Bryansk Region, socialeconomic transformation.
About the authors
Samburova Svetlana A., Master’s Student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Leninsky Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
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Alekseev Alexander I., DSc (Geography), Professor, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Leninsky Gory, 1, Moscow, 119991, Russia. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Arkhipova M.N. Management models of the northern Russian village in the post-perestroika period // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2023. V.8. №3. P. 129-143.
DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2023-8-3-129-143
Annotation
The article considers the management practices of the North-European Russian villagers in the post-perestroika period. Based on the field data, the author examines the practices of the heads of rural administrations in one district of the Arkhangelsk Region. The main field method were ethnographic interviews with villagers of the Arkhangelsk Region, who used to hold or has held leadership positions in rural administrations. The study shows that many villagers remember the Soviet past with nostalgia, which is explained by its special qualities — ‘stability’, ‘collectivism’, ‘mutual assistance’, ‘confidence in the future’. The author argues that there is some correlation between gender and chosen management models: as a rule, women emphasize the principles of collectivism and mutual assistance, focus on helping the most vulnerable groups in their villages (unemployed, single mothers, etc.); while men prefer administrative resources and personal connections, often ignoring the needs of their fellow villagers. The study showed that in the post-Soviet village, there was a kind of symbiosis of several management models with clear gender differences in their application.
Keywords
North of European Russia, nostalgia, gender, managers, power, mutual assistance, collectivism, perestroika, ‘transit’.
About the author
Arkhipova Maryana N., PhD (History), Senior Researcher, Center for Applied History, Institute of Social Sciences, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration; Senior Lecturer, Faculty of History, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Prosp. Vernadskogo, 82, bldg. 1, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
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Fedotova G.V., Novikov M.V., Dzhancharov T.M. Genesis of organic farming: World experience and Russia’s perspectives // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2023. V.8. №3. P. 113-128.
DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2023-8-3-113-128
Annotation
In the 21st century, the relevance of climate agendas made the transition to resource-saving and organic technologies for producing and processing agricultural products a strategic task for many countries. Therefore, we witness the emergence and expansion of organic forms of farming all over the world. Over the past ten years, ‘organic agro-industrial complex’ has become mainstream in the transition to ‘green economy’. The authors consider the main forms of organic farming and the basic principles and approaches to resource-saving production in the agro-industrial complex. The article presents a review of the regional distribution of organic farming focusing on its volume and resource potential. The authors develop a new concept for the transition to organic farming on the Russian example, emphasizing the country’s resource potential and competitive advantages. Based on this draft Strategy for the Development of Organic Production in the Russian Federation until 2030, the authors identify the market and the structure of organic production and its main drivers and propose new directions for the development of organic branch in the national agro-industrial complex.
Keywords
Agriculture, organic farming/production, market, food, manufacturers, ecology, products.
About the authors
Fedotova Gilyan V., DSc (Economics), Associate Professor, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after of K. I. Scriabin. Akademika Scriabina St., 23, Moscow,109472.
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Novikov Mikhail V., PhD (Technical Sciences), Associate Professor, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after of K. I. Scriabin. Akademika Scriabina St., 23, Moscow, 109472.
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Dzhancharov Turmushbek M., PhD (Biology), Associate Professor, Russian State Agrarian University — Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. Timiryazevskaya Str., 49, Moscow, 127434.
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Russia’s ways to ensure food security (control food prices) in 2020–2022, and their impact on consumers
Nov 16 2023Shagaida N.I., Ternovsky D.S., Trotsuk I.V. Russia’s ways to ensure food security (control food prices) in 2020–2022, and their impact on consumers // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2023. V.8. №3. P. 87-112.
DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2023-8-3-87-112
Annotation
This year confirmed an ambiguous situation with food security in Russia. On the one hand, the government insists on the achieved sustainable food self-sufficiency/sovereignty: “Russia is self-sufficient in all basic types of food”2 ; “the level of food security in Russia is one of the most reliable in the world”3; “the Eurasian Economic Union has reached a level of self-sufficiency in most food products (grain, vegetable oils, pork, lamb, sugar, eggs)”4. The Russian leadership admits the “very complex nature” of food sovereignty as depending on climate change, population growth, trade wars, sanctions, and so on5. However, the official discourse emphasizes that “we should not be pessimists”, “a country striving to be sovereign must provide itself with food”, and Russia solves this task so successfully that has become one of the largest food exporters. Therefore, “in 2023, food inflation in Russia will be one of the lowest in the world due to self-sufficiency in basic products” 6 and “systemic measures of anti-crisis support for enterprises and sectors that ensure food security”7 . Since mid-2020, rising prices on world markets have determined higher prices on domestic markets, and high food inflation affected many countries. In Russia, food inflation is lower compared to other regions (10% vs 19.1% in the EU or 14.9% in the OECD), and the rate of increase in food prices is lower than general inflation, while in other countries food prices became key drivers of accelerating retail prices. The article considers Russia’s measures for keeping food prices down and its population’s everyday food-consumer practices for keeping usual diet under rising prices. The survey confirmed the persistent inconsistency of Russians’ assessment of food practices, which can be explained by the trend to ‘normalize’ one’s life situation in general and in its most essential part (daily diet) in particular.
Keywords
Rising food prices, foreign and domestic markets, food inflation, food prices volatility, food (in)security, (everyday) food-consumer practices, economic and physical access to food, sociological data.
About the authors
Shagaida Natalia I., DSc (Economics), Head of the Center for Agro-Food Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. 119571, Moscow, Vernadskogo Prosp., 82.
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Ternovsky Denis S., DSc (Economics), Senior Researcher, Center for Agro-Food Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. 119571, Moscow, Vernadskogo Prosp., 82.
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Trotsuk Irina V., DSc (Sociology), Professor, Sociology Department, RUDN University; Senior Researcher, Center for Agrarian Studies, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. 119571, Moscow, Vernadskogo Prosp., 82.
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Koryukhina I.Yu., Boyarskikh E.G. Strawberry business in Baikalsk: Meanings and contradictions // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2023. V.8. №2. P. 116-139.
DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2023-8-2-116-139
Annotation
“The end of the combine’s era” in Baikalsk meant the redistribution of opportunities and hopes — some left the city, others stayed searching for ways to earn money. Informal economic practices include renting housing to tourists, collecting and selling wild berries and herbs, catching and selling fish, growing and selling strawberries. In strawberry business, there are new ‘players’, garden tools and methods of processing, and the information and expert field is also expanding. By 2021, Baikalsk became a city of the qualified specialists in the field of strawberry cultivation. The article presents the results of the study of the strawberry business transformation: who is now engaged in this business, what are new meanings of such activities, why the strawberry ‘theme’ remains at the visual level, quite formal for urban identity, despite the strawberry business’s stable place in every family.
Keywords
Sociology of everyday life, monotown, informal economic practices, gardening, strawberry cultivation.
About the authors
Koryukhina Irina Yu., PhD (Philosophy), Researcher, Centre for Independent Social Research. 664003, Irkutsk, Bogdana Khmelnitskogo Str., 30А-1.
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Boyarskikh Ekaterina G., Researcher, Centre for Independent Social Research. Irkutsk, Bogdana Khmelnitskogo Str., 30А-1.
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Mindlin Yu.B., Novikov M.V. State support of agro-industrial clusters in Russia: Types and challenges // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2023. V.8. №2. P. 104-115.
DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2023-8-2-104-115
Annotation
The cluster approach is quite new for Russia, but it plays an important role in the national and regional strategies of social-economic development. Some cluster creation projects are implemented on an initiative basis. The state plays a special role in the development of clusters, creating their institutional environment, organizing the interaction of participants, providing infrastructural and financial support. This applies primarily to agro-industrial clusters, the importance of which increased under the import substitution policy after the coronavirus pandemic and introduction of anti-Russian sanctions. The article considers the concept “agro-industrial cluster”, measures of the state support for agro-industrial clusters and requirements for agro-industrial clusters to get such support. The authors argue that the most important problems for agro-industrial clusters are as follows: too long decision-making at various levels; problems with coordinating the activities of state bodies and public associations; insufficient time for reports on the use of public funds; ambiguous procedures for selecting clusters for funding and wrong choices; blind copying of foreign practices ignoring the features of the Russian economy and its agricultural sector. In conclusion, the authors suggest some directions for solving the identified problems in the state support of agro-industrial clusters.
Keywords
Cluster, agro-industrial cluster, cluster approach, cluster policy, state support of clusters, efficiency of state support.
About the authors
Mindlin Yury B., PhD (Economics), Associate Professor, K. I. Scriabin Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology. 109472, Moscow, Akademika Scriabina St., 23.
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Novikov Mikhail V., PhD (Technical Sciences), Associate Professor, K. I. Scriabin Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology. 109472, Moscow, Akademika Scriabina St., 23.
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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
Prusikhin Oleg E., 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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Krutov Oleg D., 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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Vorobiev Maxim I., 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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Loktionov Kirill S., 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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Vepritsky Alexander A., 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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Alekseev Alexander I., 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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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
Imangulov Linar R., 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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Kuksin Yaroslav K., 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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Smirnova A.A., Smirnov I.P., Tkachenko A.A. Geographical approach to the classification of local rural areas (on the example of the Torzhok district in the Tver Region) // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2023. V.8. №1. P. 85-103.
DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2023-8-1-85-103
Annotation
The article continues the series of works on the geographical diversity of rural areas. The previous article (Tkachenko et al., 2021) presented a classification of rural districts in the Tver Region. This article aims at providing a classification of rural areas that are more fractional than municipal districts and at assessing the compliance (consistency) of classifications for the adjacent territorial levels. The Torzhok district was chosen as a main case for it represents the most prosperous type of districts in the Tver Region — agricultural, with a developed network of rural settlements. Based on the same characteristics as in the previous study, 22 local rural areas were considered as rural municipalities until 2017. The resulting classification includes 11 types, 6 of which have only one representative each. The grouping by the degree of compliance with the features of the Torzhok district showed that the general portrait of the district depends on a small number of local areas that form its spatial-semantic core: only 3 local rural areas located around the district center have the same characteristics. On the periphery, there are territories either with a low degree of correspondence or without any similar characteristics. The comparison of classifications proved the role of generalization in the study of spatial differences in rural areas.
Keywords
Countryside, local rural areas, frame structure, territorial functions, rural settlement, recreational potential, Tver Region, Torzhok district.
About the author
Smirnova Alexandra A., PhD (Geography), Associate Professor, Faculty of Geography and Geoecology, Tver State University. P. Proshina St., 3, bldg. 2, Tver, 170021.
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Smirnov Ilya P., PhD (Geography), Associate Professor, Faculty of Geography and Geoecology, Tver State University. P. Proshina St., 3, bldg. 2, Tver, 170021.
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Tkachenko Alexander A., DSc (Geography), Professor, Faculty of Geography and Geoecology, Tver State University. P. Proshina St., 3, bldg. 2, Tver, 170021.
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Rural areas of Bashkiria: Prevailing types and features of transformation in the post-Soviet period
Feb 08 2023Alekseev A. I., Imangulov L. R. Rural areas of Bashkiria: Prevailing types and features of transformation in the post-Soviet period // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2022. V.7. №4. P. 109-132.
DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2022-7-4-109-132
Annotation
The article outlines the features of the development of rural areas in the Republic of Bashkortostan in the post-Soviet period, such as the high share of the rural population, developed agricultural sector, institutional support of the village, etc. Based on the statistical data and the results of the field research, the authors identify the dominant types of rural areas in the Republic of Bashkortostan by municipal districts with the predominantly rural population. The key features of the typology are as follows: natural conditions, district’s position in the system ‘center-periphery’, characteristics of population, level of the development of agriculture and public utilities. The results of the cluster analysis and data systematization allowed to identify the following social-economic types of rural areas in the region: suburban rural area, agrarian Bashkiria, and traditional Bashkir rural area. For each type and subtype of rural areas the authors conducted a detailed social-economic analysis and described the trajectories of the rural transformation in the post-Soviet period. Today, the role of the agricultural sector in the life of the rural population is decreasing. In the final section, the authors assess the role of agricultural production in the life of the rural population by types of rural areas. Thus, in agrarian Bashkiria, work on the land still remains the main labor practice (employment in agricultural organizations, personal subsidiary farms), but the life of the significant part of population is poorly connected with the agrarian sector.
Keywords
Rural area, rural settlement, agriculture, factors of rural transformation, typology of rural areas, Bashkortostan.
About the authors
Alekseev Alexander I., DSc (Geography), Professor, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University. 119991, Moscow, Leninskie Gory, 1.
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Imangulov Linar R., Master’s student, Department of Economic and Social Geography of Russia, Lomonosov Moscow State University. 119991, Moscow, Leninskie Gory, 1.
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Russian Peasant Studies. Scientific journal
Center for Agrarian studies of the Russian Presidental Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA)
- Publisher: Delo Publishing, RANEPA
- Editor-in-Chief: Nikulin Alexander
- ISSN 2500-1809 (Print), ISSN 2949-2564 (Online)
- Founded in 2016
- Frequency: four issues per year (March, Jun, September, December)
- Open Access: All volumes and articles can be downloaded for free in the PDF format.
- Author fees: free of chagre
- Indexation: Russian Science Citation Index, Russian Science Citation Index Core, List of Journals approved by Russian Hihger Attestation committee (Ministry for Sciende and Education), Scopus, UlrichWeb Global Serials Directory.
- Russian registration number: PI FS77-65824 27-May-2016
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).
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