Responses to agrarian reforms in Russia: Evidence from Novosibirsk oblast

Interviews with Directors of restructured collective farms, private farmers, Rural Development Officers, and Agricultural specialists in the Administration from Suzun raion, Novosibirsk oblast, central Russia revealed a regional response to recent agrarian reforms. Distinct differences emerged between the objectives of the restructured collective farms (large-scale enterprises (LSEs)) and the private (autonomous) farmers, particularly towards the employment of labour and commitments to supporting rural infrastructure and village communities. Directors of the LSEs placed considerably more importance on supporting the villages and rural economy with which their farm is historically linked, private farmers were less inclined to divert resources to these ends. The oblast Authorities seek to maintain economic activity in rural areas through targeted financial support, by supporting mergers between private farmers and failing LSEs, and buy-outs by urban investors. However, our survey shows that the private farming sector will not re-hire all the labour thus released or contribute significantly to the maintenance of the rural infrastructure. The break-up of the established village farm-villager symbiotic linkages will result in some other organisation having to pick up these costs and responsibilities.