Gorlova N. I., Kovalchuk A. P. Volunteering as a means of promoting tourism in rural areas // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2024. V.9. №2. P. 197-211.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2024-9-2-197-211

Annotation

One of the main goals of the Russian volunteer movement to develop environment in small rural areas. The authors assess the current state of the Russian volunteer movement in the context of developing rural areas and local communities, emphasizing the activities of the all-Russian social movement ‘Volunteers of Culture’. The authors identify functions and directions of the proactive citizens’ volunteer efforts and the role of volunteer practices in increasing regional tourist attractiveness and hospitality of local communities; argue that the tourism sector became a priority on the social agenda of the volunteer movement and work. On the example of socially significant projects implemented in Russian villages, the authors show both the results of the integration of volunteer activities into the rural tourism field and the positive effect of such volunteering for the development of local rural communities. Thus, volunteer activities reflect the degree of public participation in solving significant rural problems, and the authors emphasize educational, methodological and motivational measures to support and popularize the role of the volunteer movement in promoting rural tourist facilities and routes.

Keywords

Volunteering, volunteer work, social movement ‘Volunteers of Culture’, local territories, rural tourism, tourist routes, sustainable development.

About the authors

Natalya I. Gorlova, DSc (History), Associate Professor, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Stremyanny Per., 36, Moscow, 115054, Russia.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Andrey P. Kovalchuk, PhD (Economics), Associate Professor, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Stremyanny Per., 36, Moscow, 115054, Russia.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The article was submitted on 20.02.2024.

Loginov D. M. Russia’s rural population: Subjective well-being and social-economic practices // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2024. V.9. №2. P. 180-196.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2024-9-2-180-196

Annotation

Based on the data of the representative sociological survey conducted by the Institute of Social Analysis and Forecasting in 2023, the author considers indicators of subjective well-being and life practices of Russia’s rural population. The relevance of the suggested analysis is determined by the scale of territorial and settlement differentiation in living standards and by the current social-economic risks of decreasing well-being. The author focuses on various aspects of life satisfaction and on the ideas about their dynamics, consumer and credit-savings behavior and features of rural social interactions. The survey results show a generally favorable situation regarding the villagers’ life satisfaction, but the problem zone is possibilities of getting qualified medical help. In the emotional perspective, two thirds of villagers see opportunities for self-realization, while a half regularly feel anxiety and depression, and every tenth suffers from them the most. The important feature of consumer behavior is that half of rural population is forced to shop at minimum prices. More than half of rural respondents use the Internet for consumer practices, and every fifth does it very actively. Some villagers ensure the acceptable quality of life with credits and savings, and there is a significant group of financial risk. The majority considers as the main source of support their “close social circle” since there are extremely low expectations from institutions — both state and public.

Keywords

Rural population, rural territories, subjective well-being, social well-being, standard of living, quality of life, social-economic behavior, social-economic practices, life satisfaction, consumption, social interactions.

About the author

Dmitry M. Loginov, PhD (Economics), Senior Researcher, Institute of Social Analysis and Forecasting, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Prechistenskaya Nab., 11, bldg. 1, Moscow, 119034, Russia.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The article was submitted on 07.03.2024.

Kartseva M. A., Mkrtchyan N. V., Florinskaya Yu. F. Rural-urban migration in contemporary Russia through the prism of quantitative and qualitative analysis // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2024. V.9. №2. P. 153-179.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2024-9-2-153-179

Annotation

The authors consider the Russian rural-urban migration, focusing on its current trends. The migration loss of rural population has decreased slightly; however, the outflow from rural areas depends on multidirectional processes in suburbs and peripheral villages. According to the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, rural periphery continues to experience a strong migration decline, while the suburban village rapidly grows due to migration. Based on the microdata of the sociological survey “People, family, society” conducted by the INSAP RANEPA in 2023 and econometric techniques, the authors examined rural-urban migration as related to the labor market and income. The article shows that individual decisions to move from rural to urban areas are rational and economically justified, since such a migration improves one’s position in the labor market, increases wage and per capita income. The identified motives for migration from rural to urban areas and its social-economic drivers were confirmed by a series of in-depth interviews conducted in the summer of 2023.

Keywords

Rural area, rural population, cities, rural-urban migration, employment, wage, income.

About the authors

Marina A. Kartseva, PhD (Economics), Deputy Head of the Institute for Science, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Prosp. Vernadskogo, 82, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Nikita V. Mkrtchyan, PhD (Geography), Senior Researcher, National Research University Higher School of Economics; Institute for Science, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Prosp. Vernadskogo, 82, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Yulia F. Florinskaya, PhD (Geography), Senior Researcher, Institute for Science, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration; National Research University Higher School of Economics, Prosp. Vernadskogo, 82, Moscow, 119571, Russia.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The article was submitted on 16.02.2024.

Shagaida N. I. Is it possible to quickly eliminate labor shortage in Russian agriculture? // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2024. V.9. №2. P. 139-152.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2024-9-2-139-152

Annotation

In November 2023, the First Deputy Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut estimated the shortage of workers in agriculture at 200,0001, obviously implying agricultural organizations. According to Lut, one of the reasons for such a shortage is low salaries: the limited effective demand for products does not allow agricultural organizations to increase the selling price of produce, which limits the wages of agricultural workers. However, the number of people employed in agriculture declines almost everywhere — this is a common situation in many countries. On the one hand, this decline is determined by an increase in labor productivity, i.e., a reduction in the number of workers is the desired result; on the other hand, many agricultural enterprises suffer from the lack of needed workers. Therefore, it is necessary to understand why there is a shortage of agricultural workers in Russia, focusing on the details of this situation. Based on the Federal State Statistics Service’s data, the author considers this situation, in particular the number of employed in agriculture, main reasons for such a labor shortage in agriculture and national economy in general, possibilities and limitations of the reliance/ dependence on labor migrants (especially from the post-Soviet countries) and on unemployed in the Russian labor market, regional differences in the available workforce, finally providing some recommendations to change the current situation.

Keywords

Labor shortage, agriculture, agricultural organizations, wages, unemployment, labor migrants, regional differences.

About the author

Shagaida Natalia I., DSc (Economics), Head of the Center for Agro-Food Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Vernadskogo Prosp, 82, Moscow, 119571.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The article was submitted on 22.02.2024.

Reusova T. V., Strepetova O. A., Balakirev N. A., Novikov M. V., Orlova E. A. Main commercial features of local sable skins // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2024. V.9. №1. P. 124-140.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2024-9-1-124-140

Annotation

To increase the competitiveness of the Russian sable products according to the requirements of the contemporary fur market, we need a comprehensive study of the properties of farmed and commercial sable skins. The article presents the results of the study of the commercial properties of the farmed crossbred sable skins, which determine their quality: height and thickness of hair, length and thickness of different categories of hair, and skin thickness depending on the topographic area. The authors conducted a monitoring of the fur goods sales at the joint international auction of the auction company “Fur Union” and the Baikal auction company “Russian Sable” in Saint Petersburg from February 2022 to September 2023, focusing on the untreated skins of the farmed crossbred sable (males and females) of the third and fifth colors. According to the results, the crossing of females of farmed sable with males of Yakut sable determined the increased uniformity of the skin hair of crossbred sable by topographic area, and the reduced thickness of the upper tier, which made the sable skin hair softer and silkier. The analysis of the auction results showed that the light-colored sable skins have a higher share of sales (68%–72%) and are in steady demand. Thus, the breeding work aimed at improving the quality of the sable skin hair and at increasing the color variability of the crossbred sable will ensure demand for farmed sable skins on the fur market.

Keywords

Skins of farmed sable, properties of skins, auction, monitoring, trade sales.

About the authors

Reusova Tatiana V., PhD (Technical Sciences), Associate Professor, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after K. I. Scryabin. Akademika Scryabina St., 23, Moscow, 109472.
Е-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Strepetova Oksana A., PhD (Technical Sciences), Associate Professor, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after of K. I. Scryabin. Akademika Scryabina St., 23, Moscow, 109472.
Е-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Balakirev Nikolai A., Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, DSc (Agricultural Sciences), Professor, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after K. I. Scryabin. Akademika Scryabina St., 23, Moscow, 109472.
Е-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Novikov Mikhail V., PhD (Technical Sciences), Associate Professor, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after K. I. Scryabin. Akademika Scryabina St., 23, Moscow, 109472.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Orlova Elena A., PhD (Agricultural Sciences), Associate Professor, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after K. I. Scryabin. Akademika Scryabina St., 23, Moscow, 109472.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The article was submitted on 11.11.2023.

Zakharov K. V., Makarova E. A., Konovalov A. M., Lomskov M. A. The influence of regional social-economic factors on the illegal hunting of fur-bearing animals // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2024. V.9. №1. P. 107-123.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2024-9-1-107-123

Annotation

Poaching is a complex phenomenon influenced by a variety of factors, including moral, social, economic and other; therefore, the study of its causes has scientific and practical significance. To identify the influence of social-economic factors on illegal hunting, the authors considered some regions of the Russian Federation, comparing their indicators of social-economic development with the share of illegally hunted ungulates and fur-bearing animals; this share differs significantly by region; ungulates are a more attractive target for poachers. To study the causes of poaching, the authors focused on the following social-economic factors: regional gross domestic product (GDP), incomes of residents, consumer price index for goods and services, population size, the share of villagers and the share of people with the hunting license in the regional population, and road network density. Some reliable factors were identified (the share of people with the hunting license, the share of villagers, incomes of residents and regional GDP), but the resulting models explain a small part of the variance. However, the study confirmed the complex nature of poaching as it failed to explain this phenomenon through a set of seemingly obvious variables, which was done for other countries.

Keywords

Poaching, hunting, social-economic indicators, transport accessibility, Russian regions, fur-bearing animals.

About the authors

Zakharov Konstantin V., PhD (Biology), Associate Professor, Department of Zoology, Ecology and Protection of Nature named after A.G. Bannikov, Faculty of Biotechnology and Ecology, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after K. I. Skryabin. Akademika Skryabina St., 23, Moscow, 109472.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Makarova Elena A., PhD (Biology), Associate Professor, Department of Zoology, Ecology and Protection of Nature named after A.G. Bannikov, Faculty of Biotechnology and Ecology, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after K. I. Skryabin. Akademika Skryabina St., 23, Moscow, 109472.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Konovalov Alexander M., PhD (Agricultural Sciences), Associate Professor, Department of Zoology, Ecology and Protection of Nature named after A. G. Bannikov, Faculty of Biotechnology and Ecology, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after K. I. Skryabin. Akademika Skryabina St., 23, Moscow, 109472.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Lomskov Mikhail A., PhD (Biology), Associate Professor, Department of Zoology, Ecology and Protection of Nature named after A.G. Bannikov, Faculty of Biotechnology and Ecology, Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after K. I. Skryabin. Akademika Skryabina St., 23, Moscow, 109472.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The article was submitted on 20.11.2023.

Balabeykina O. A. The phenomenon of new rural settlements on the example of the Republic of Udmurtia // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2024. V.9. №1. P. 96-106.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2024-9-1-96-106

Annotation

The article aims at presenting a list of new rural settlements in the Republic of Udmurtia, which were founded in the first two decades of the 21st century, and at identifying the features of their social-economic functioning and economic significance. The article is based on the results of the author’s official requests about the liquidation and emergence of new settlements, which were made in November 2023 to the authorities and administration of the Republic of Udmurtia; on the collected legal documents of regional importance, cartographic, scientific, and online sources. Thus, the author identifies quantitative and qualitative characteristics of restored villages in the Republic of Udmurtia, emphasizes the high interest in the liquidated rural settlements, presents a list of new villages which appeared on the site of the previously abolished ones, and describes the economic activity of villagers as predominantly agricultural and agrotourism. The available facts of the restoration of previously abolished villages in the Republic of Udmurtia show this restoration as an isolated phenomenon, but it should be evaluated positively in both economic and social terms.

Keywords

Village, creation of a settlement, Republic of Udmurtia, rural studies, rural area, abolished settlement.

About the author

Balabeykina Olga A., PhD (Geography), Associate Professor, Department of Regional Economics and Environmental Management, Saint Petersburg State Economic University, Canala Griboedova Nab., 30–32, Letter A, Saint Petersburg, 191023.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The article was submitted on 14.12.2023.

Breslavsky A. S. Suburbs of Ulan-Ude: Practices of citizenship and the “right to the city” // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2024. V.9. №1. P. 75-95.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2024-9-1-75-95

Annotation

The author shows how local residents of the closest suburbs of Ulan-Ude (which grew rapidly in the 2000s — 2010s due to detached houses construction, including dacha non-commercial partnerships (DNP) without basic engineering, housing and social infrastructure) defended their “right to the city” (comfortable environment in suburban residential areas, equal access to urban public goods, etc.). The struggle for this right implied social-political mobilization, awareness and acceptance of personal responsibility for the development of territories, including in the form of territorial public self-government (TPS) that widely developed in Buryatia in the 2010s. However, this struggle was not widespread, all-encompassing, constant and sustainable as local suburban communities remained disunited and united only to solve common problems. The case of Ulan-Ude and its suburbs shows the situational nature of urban citizenship and the continuing fragmentation of urban and suburban communities in their seemingly common strive for the adequate quality of the urban/suburban environment, equal access to public goods and urban resources. The article shows a variety of argumentations for the “right to the city’, which may directly contradict each other, since the ideals embodied in this right often are not perceived by ‘ordinary’ residents. The study is based on the author’s participant observations (from 2011), in-depth interviews with leaders and activists of TPS and DNP in the suburban settlements of Ulan–Ude (2021– 2024), a focus group (January 2024) and media publications.

Keywords

Rural migration, right to the city, Russia, Ulan-Ude, suburbs, citizenship, territorial public self-government.

About the author

Breslavsky Anatoly S., PhD (History), Senior Researcher, Center of Urban Studies, Tyumen State University. Lenina St., 23, Tyumen, 625003.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The article was submitted on 25.12.2023.

Korolev C.M. Casus Pyalmiae: A city dweller and his village // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2023. V.8. №4. P. 152-173.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2023-8-4-152-173

Annotation

On the example of the Karelian village Pyalma, the author considers the construction of the image of the Russian traditional Northern village by former city dwellers. Based on their own ideas about the rural authenticity, they represent rural traditions to urban tourists, whose knowledge of the rural is determined by popular culture and is not supported by practical skills. By comparing the history of Pyalma with other examples of the contemporary public work with natural-cultural heritage in North-West Russia, the author shows that the typification and museumification of traditional rurality in many villages are determined by the individual desire to preserve them and ensure their development by attracting tourists and introducing activities of the ‘economy of impressions’. The author notes that for most ‘seasonal’ residents (local and urban summer residents), the historicity of the place is not as important as the natural-infrastructural features of the village location. Thus, today urban projections of rurality in historical settlements are clearly divided into general and private, commemorative-tourist and personal economic practices, which together form a post-productivist ‘new rurality’ of historical villages in the Russian North.

Keywords

New rurality, rural tourism, Russian village, Russian North, heritage, naturalcultural landscape.

About the author

Korolev Cyril M., PhD (Philology), Head of the Patria (“Fatherland”) Center for History and Culture. Nab. Obvodnogo Kanala, 15, bldg. 1, lit. A, Saint Petersburg, 190002.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Averkieva K.V. Rural gentrification: City dwellers in rural areas of Russia’s Non-Chernozem Region // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2023. V.8. №4. P. 137-151.

DOI: 10.22394/2500-1809-2023-8-4-137-151

Annotation

Under the long-term rural outflow to cities, urban migration to rural areas, especially of those not changing urban registration or staying in the countryside seasonally, is almost invisible. However, the influx of new residents affects rural areas greatly since city dwellers have rich social capital and other resources to transform the countryside. Foreign researchers suggest the term ‘rural gentrification’ to describe such processes. On the example of the Verkhovazhsky district of the Vologda oblast, the author shows how city dwellers participate in different spheres of the rural economic and social life or introduce new types of activities that could be characterized as sprouts of rural modernization if not for their close connection with the traditional rural life. The paper is based on the field studies conducted from 2019 to 2023, combining in-depth and expert interviews with participant observation. In the villages of the Vaga valley, there are guest houses, a center for wood-fired ceramics, a base for restorers of wooden architecture and other facilities created by city dwellers. At the same time, former city residents work in the rural social infrastructure — schools, cultural centers, shops, administrations, offering rural residents new, urban practices (public lectures, book crossing, separate waste collection, second-hand stores). On the one hand, former city residents contribute to changes in certain aspects of rural life; on the other hand, they adopt elements of rural lifestyle, which is manifested in clothing, everyday practices, and way of thinking.

Keywords

Countryside, migration from the city to the village, rural gentrification, cultural initiatives, Vologda oblast, Non-Chernozem Region.

About the author

Averkieva Kseniya V., PhD (Geography), Associate Professor, Faculty of Geography and Geoinformation Technologies, National Research University Higher School of Economics; Senior Researcher, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences. 101000, Moscow, Myasnitskaya str., 20.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.