Diffusion of Organic Agriculture in Russia: Features and Implications for Rural Development

Abstract

—In recent decades, organic agriculture has played an increasingly prominent role in the global and Russian agricultural sector. This trend emerged in opposition to industrial agrarian production, in response to growing demands for environmental protection and social justice. The article analyzes the place of organic agriculture among the agrarian systems of the mid-20th–early 21st centuries, the specifics of its development in Russia, and the geographical patterns of this process. In contrast to European countries, large investors initially gave impetus to development of the sector in Russia; the main motives of pioneers were associated with healthy eating and to a lesser extent with environmental or social issues. From the standpoint of the theory of diffusion of innovation, the development of organic agriculture is in its early stages; however, the number of farms and land areas under organic production are steadily growing, service industries and sales channels are being formed, and an institutional environment has been arisen in the form of industry associations and national legislation. The location of farms with different specializations can be traced to the dependence on natural conditions and the agrarian history of the territory. Refineries gravitate towards Moscow as the largest sales market. The last part of the article discusses the implications of organic agriculture for the development of rural areas in Russia: mitigating socioeconomic contrasts between suburban and peripheral rural areas, preserving the traditional cultural landscape and supporting rural tourism, and promoting environmental ideology in the agricultural sector and in society.