Russia is a major country. Large, firstly reflected in its large territorial area, with a territory of 17.0982 million square kilometers spanning the Eurasian continent; This is reflected in the large arable land area, with 1.2178 million square kilometers of arable land ranking among the world's top; The strength of agriculture is also reflected in its great strength. Based on natural conditions and national policy support, Russia has become a global agricultural power and has gained significant influence in the international market, especially in the food market.
In terms of natural conditions, Russian agriculture has obvious innate advantages. Russia has a vast arable land area, with agricultural land accounting for 12.9% of the national territory, approximately 220 million hectares, and per capita arable land area reaching 0.84 hectares, far higher than the world average. More importantly, Russia sits on the largest black soil belt in the world, with fertile soil. The vast arable land and fertile soil provide a guarantee for the development of agriculture in Russia.
A seeder operates in a field in the coastal border region of Russia.
'Strong' is only a current reality for Russian agriculture, but it is not a historical norm.
As early as the early 20th century, Russia's grain production could be exported in large quantities while meeting domestic demand. From 1909 to 1913, grain exports reached their maximum of 11.9 million tons, including 4.2 million tons of wheat and 3.7 million tons of barley. In the international market, Russia's grain exports account for 28.1% of the world's total exports.
The good times did not last long, and Russian agriculture was damaged by the First World War and the Civil War. According to the 1917 All Russian Agricultural Census, the male labor force in rural areas decreased by 47.4% compared to 1914, and the number of livestock and planting area also significantly decreased. Crop yields plummeted, and the food crisis began to spread throughout the country.
During the Soviet period, the agricultural collectivization route led to an increase in productivity. During this period, the Soviet government attached great importance to the role of agricultural machinery in improving production efficiency, while increasing the agricultural population, ensuring a significant increase in the production of basic agricultural products. In 1940, the total agricultural output value of the Soviet Union increased by 41% compared to 1913, and collective farms and state-owned farms became the main production units of agriculture. In 1978, the grain harvest reached 127 million tons, setting a record high during the Soviet era. However, due to the huge gap between the Soviet Union's investment in industry, especially heavy industry, and its investment in agriculture, agricultural production was still unable to meet domestic demand, and a large amount of imported food became the norm.
In the 1990s, the impact of drastic political changes spread to the economic sector, and Russian agriculture also experienced a serious crisis. At the peak of the economic recession in 1998, Russia's agricultural production was only 53% of that in 1989. About two-thirds of its farmland was abandoned, resulting in a significant reduction in food production. The decline in animal husbandry was particularly severe, with meat production declining by more than half. It can be said that the entire Russian agriculture has reached a bottom, and it is heartbreaking that a country with a large area of arable land cannot guarantee the bread supply for its people.
Entering the 21st century, Russian agriculture has started to rebound from the bottom, and agricultural production has continuously broken historical records.
In the agricultural year 2001-2002, Russia began exporting a large amount of food, with exports exceeding
