Russian Agriculture

This volume, originally published in 1930, discusses the economics of Russian agriculture during the early 20th century. It analyzes those economic influences which were at work and were bringing about its transformation. Starting from a sketch of the agricultural geography of European Russia, as it had been shaped by natural conditions, historical and economic factors, the author proceeds to the study of the organization and conditions of Russian farming and agricultural production, as well as discussing the Russian characteristics as an agricultural producer and the origins and disposal of her available surpluses of agricultural products.

World Bank Discussion Paper No. 327. Indicates areas of high priority for additional analytical work in Russia's agriculture sector after four years of reform. The study concludes that structural change in Russian agriculture is far from complete and that analysts should continue to clarify and document the factors affecting performance of the sector and shaping its evolution.

Winner, 1999 Edward A. Hewett Book Prize from AAASS A comprehensive, original, and innovative analysis of the social, economic, and political factors affecting contemporary Russian reform, the book is organized around the central question of the role of the state and its effect on the course of Russian agrarian reform. In the wake of the collapse of the USSR, contemporary conventional wisdom holds the the Russian state is "weak." Stephen Wegren feels that the traditional approach to the weak/strong state suffers from measurement and circular logic problems, believing that the Russian state, thought weaker than in its Soviet past, is still relatively stronger than other actors. The state's strength allows it to intervene in the rural sector in ways that other power contender cannot.Specifically, as a measure of state intervention, Wegren analyzes how the state has influenced urban-rural relations, rural-rural relations, and the nonstate (private) agricultural sector. Several dilemmas arose that have complicated successful agrarian reform as a result of the nature of state interventions, how reform policies were defined, and the incentives rhar arose from state-sponsored policies. During contemporary Russian agrarian reform, urban-rural differences have widened, marked by a deterioration in rural standards of living and increased alienation of rural political groups from urban alliances. At the same time, within the rural sector, reform failed to reverse rural egalitarianism. In addition, the nature of state interventions has undermined attempts to create a vibrant, productive private rural sector based on private farming.Wegren's research is based upon extensive field work, interviews, archival documents, and published and unpublished source material conducted over a six-year period, and he demonstrates the link between agrarian reform and the success of overall reform in Russia. This learned and often controversial volume will interest political scientists, policy makers, and scholars and students of contemporary Russia.

Public pronouncements of Russian leaders--prerevolutionary and postrevolutionary alike--attested the crucial role of the agricultural problem, its economically and politically explosive nature, and its persistence over the years. Emphasizing the continuity of problems and policies too often dichotomized into tsarist and Soviet eras, Volin created a sweeping panorama of the century between the emancipation of the serfs and the 1960s.

In this book the authors draw on extensive field work that took them over a five year period to a variety of Russian regions. By describing the forms of small farming they found in these regions, the authors uncover for the reader Russia's 'unknown agriculture', speculating about the role it will have in Russia's future.

The agricultural sector in Russia has considerable untapped productive potential. Given this potential, agriculture could provide a solid foundation for growth and poverty alleviation, particularly in rural areas of Russia. The objectives of this book are to facilitate debate of issues key to agricultural policy, to contribute to a greater understanding of the Russian agricultural sector outside of Russia, and to identify a framework for further collaboration between the Russian government and the World Bank in the rural sector.

By examining a sector of the economy that was exposed to increased imports more than four decades ago, Crumley illuminates the economic pressures, resistance, and reform that help to shape Russia's agrarian sector today.