A “Free Public Service” On the 200th Anniversary of the Moscow Society of Agriculture

Abstract

In connection with the 200th anniversary of the Moscow Society of Agriculture (MSA), the first agricultural society in our country, this article describes its activities over the years of its existence (1820–1930) in developing advanced agricultural theory and practice in Russia and their productive synthesis. Particular attention is paid to the role of the Moscow Society of Agriculture in the agrarian modernization of the country, many years of economic and educational work in the peasant and landlord milieu, achievements in the improvement of individual agricultural sectors, the progress of agricultural science and the formation of the foundations of civil society in prerevolutionary Russia. The important role of the Moscow Society of Agriculture in the preservation and development of economic, sociocultural, and Orthodox traditions is revealed, and the relevance of this unique national heritage in modern Russia is noted, including the development of the foundations of a regional approach to the exploration and development of rural territories.